Batgirl and Static Shock Reportedly HBO Max Exclusives

The DC Films universe has gone through quite a few different evolutions over the years, as Warner Bros. has worked to bring a slew of beloved DC Comics characters onto the big screen. Even with the COVID-19 pandemic shifting elements of the franchise's schedule, there are still quite a lot of new films either on the schedule or in the pipeline -- and it sounds like DC Films could soon be expanding how they release them. A recent article from The New York Times profiles DC Films president Walter Hamada, and previews what the company's strategy could look like following the hybrid theatrical and HBO Max release of Wonder Woman 1984. Part of the article outlines that DC Films plans to release two films a year exclusively on HBO Max, with the article hinting that it could perhaps be films that are "focused on riskier characters like Batgirl and Static Shock."

Of course, there's no official indication of whether or not that will ultimately be the fate of either of those films, especially since that portion of the article does not quote Hamada directly. But still, the mention of both of those films in particular - especially when DC has countless other films in the work - is definitely interesting. The Batgirl solo film has been in the works for several years now, with Joss Whedon initially lined up to write and direct the project, only to drop out months later. Christina Hodson, who has penned both Birds of Prey and the upcoming Flashpoint for DC Films, has been handling the Batgirl script since April of 2018, but no official updates have been announced recently.

Static Shock, meanwhile, was just announced to be in the works in October of this year, with Michael B. Jordan lined up to produce the project.

While there are definitely fans who would want to see either Batgirl or Static Shock on the big screen - and again, this article doesn't definitively confirm either film's fate - there is an argument to be made for either film ending up on HBO Max, or even doing a hybrid release similar to Wonder Woman 1984 and WB's current 2021 film slate. Given how beloved Batgirl and Static Shock are as characters, there's a good chance that either film could reach a wider audience with the help of HBO Max, similarly to how Birds of Prey got a second wind once it hit PVOD and HBO Max earlier this year. Plus, as the theatrical experience proves to be more and more of a logistical challenge amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the idea of definitively having blockbuster films premiere on filming could have some upsides. It also would provide an experience equivalent to what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has planned for the future, with a mix of theatrically-released films and Disney+ exclusive series.

DC Films President Addresses Live-Action Multiverse Plans

DC Films president Walter Hamada believes moviegoing audiences are "sophisticated" enough to understand the multiverse, a concept allowing the studio to bring multiple versions of DC Comics superheroes to the screen — even at the same time, or in the same movie. That will be the case in The Flash, where the super-speedster (Ezra Miller) will encounter the Batman of his world (Ben Affleck) and a Dark Knight from another dimension (Michael Keaton). Yet another Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) will exist on a new Earth outside of the DC Extended Universe in the rebooted The Batman, which is separate still from Arthur Fleck's (Joaquin Phoenix) reality in the standalone Joker.

"I don't think anyone else has ever attempted this," Hamada told The New York Times. "But audiences are sophisticated enough to understand it. If we make good movies, they will go with it."

The DCEU — home to such superheroes as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa's Aquaman — has already crossed over with the Arrowverse, home to television superheroes like Green Arrow (Stephen Amell) and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist). During TV's ambitious Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Miller's big-screen Flash crossed paths with the Arrowverse Flash (Grant Gustin) to tease things to come.

"This really opens the door for us to do more crossovers, to really establish this idea that there can be a Flash on TV and a Flash in the movies," Hamada said during the virtual DC FanDome event over the summer. "You don't have to pick one or the other, you can love both. On one Earth, you have Gal and Jason and Ezra as this Justice League, and you can continue telling these stories. While on another Earth, you can have a more grounded, real, Year Two Batman [in The Batman]."

The move allows filmmakers like Matt Reeves the freedom to operate outside of a pre-existing continuity in The Batman, and filmmakers like Todd Phillips the opportunity to tell standalone stories like an R-rated villain origin in Joker. And Zack Snyder's Justice League, the filmmaker's long-awaited Snyder Cut, will exist "slightly elsewhere" in the ever-expanding multiverse.

"We're trying to keep it as simple as that, like there is that one Earth that exists in Justice League, and then the beginnings of another earth that is happening in its early stages of [The Batman]," Hamada said in August. "And then, obviously, there are outliers like Joker, which doesn't exist in either earth, but that's okay, it's all part of the multiverse. Matt Reeves can continue to build out his Gotham, and he's got great plans on how to build it out and build it out in a way that's innovative."