We should mention from the start that this is just a rumor, picked up from Hitfix, Mr. Sunday, and so on. And it is a rumor concerning one of the most anticipated flicks of all time: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (and the excitement and the expectations are going through the roof, since this is the first time DC's main superheroes will be together on the big screen). This rumor apparently started when we learned that the movie’s budget, including the marketing campaign, was somewhere over $400 million dollars.
To begin with, it appears that the executives' reaction when seeing the movie wasn't entirely positive (if reactions like this count at all). When seeing it, Warner Bros. realized that this will be an even more polarizing flick than Man of Steel, and that it will never gain the box office success it was expected to (as of this moment, the tracking suggests that it will make around $500 million in the US and an estimated $1 billion worldwide - and this won't cut it on such a big investment).
And that is why Warner Bros. intends to make some changes to the slate of DC films it’s already announced. Thus, obviously, Batman v Superman will be released, and so will Suicide Squad. They will move ahead with Wonder Woman, as well, but they will reschedule the first Justice League film.
Instead of Justice League, Warner Bros intends to move forward with the only DC property that has proven that it can be highly successful: Batman (according to the aforementioned websites, Ben Affleck and Jesse Eisenberg's roles are the best things about Batman v Superman). So, the studio intends to release a first Dark Knight flick in place of Justice League.
This isn't all, though, since a scapegoat will have to be found.
Marvel has Kevin Feige as its mastermind - and, thus far, all is well. DC and Warner Bros. have"¦well, they have basically nobody. So the biggest player who can fall is Zack Snyder. As the web sites suggest (or express in a most obvious way), the director will part ways with the studio after Batman v Superman.
Which leaves the entire Justice League project hanging, as Snyder was supposed to direct both of the movies.
What can we say about this rumor? Well, for starters, Batman v Superman is indeed polarizing, and we can see that from the reaction the fans had towards the trailers (some just can't get over certain casting choices approved by Warner Bros.).
Then we have the huge sum of money invested in this movie. For Batman v Superman to be successful, it has to make at least $1.5 billion dollars worldwide. And we honestly don't see it doing this much.
Will Warner Bros. change the slate again? We say again because it was changed with the announcement of a Green Lantern Corps instead of a Green Lantern movie. Also, it will change since, according to most of the rumors, the Cyborg flick will turn out to be a Titans flick.
We have no idea whether or not Warner Bros. will delay the first Justice League film and replace it with a Batman movie. What we are certain of is that millions of fans want Batman v Superman to succeed, and that they have the highest expectations as far as that movie is concerned.
As it’s turned out thus far, this type of movie (A Force Awakens is an exception) has failed to meet these high expectations.
