At one point, it looked as though The Batman would kick off production in spring or summer 2017, but then Ben Affleck stepped down as director and the project got bogged down. Warner Bros. brought in Matt Reeves to direct, and he promptly trashed Affleck and Geoff Johns' The Game-inspired script and opted to start over from scratch.
Since then, we haven’t been sure when filming would begin. However, a new rumor has cleared things up. During his latest Periscope session, The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez divulged that Reeves plans to have cameras rolling by summer of 2018:
If everything falls into place, The Batman should go into production in the summer of 2018.
With that timetable, Reeves will have ample time to get the script in order, complete the cast roster, and take care of other pre-production chores.
While The Batman is a priority for Warner Bros., they’ve announced that the DCEU’s Shazam! will follow Aquaman, which is close to wrapping up production. In fact, Shazam! has already entered pre-production, and the studio is reportedly considering WWE superstar John Cena and Galavant star Joshua Sasse to play Shazam at different ages.
Omega Underground recently claimed that they had an early production listing with the working title of the David F. Sandberg flick. According to the website, the working title for Shazam! is Franklin.
In the comics, there’s no direct link between Billy Batson, aka Shazam, and anyone named Franklin. It’s apparently a reference to US Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. Among his many abilities, Franklin was a scientist and inventor, and legend has it that he discovered electricity after being struck by lightning. And Billy is transformed into his superhero alter ego after being struck by lightning. All he has to do is shout, “Shazam!”
