DC Entertainment Hopes & Predictions For 2017

The New Year already upon us, and with it comes new moments for us DC Enthusiasts to enjoy. With 2016 in the bag, here are some of our top DC predictions for 2017.

Constantine Returns

DC fans the world over were waiting for Matt Ryan’s triumphant return to DCTV in the role he was born to play, and while that didn’t happen in 2016, it’s clear that DC Entertainment has plans for both the actor, as well as the character he plays. Still, we’re predicting that Matt Ryan will make a return to the small screen this year.

Critical Success for the DCEU

While the DC Extended Universe has opened to huge financial success, there are those that feel it could use a level of critical acclaim, more befitting these hallowed characters. It is true that films such as Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad each debuted with mixed reviews, and while each of these films have garnered a cult following, we are predicting that the debut of Wonder Woman and Justice League will not only continue the trend of these films being giant box office successes, but they will also put the DCEU on the path of being loved by general audiences across the board.

DC Network Moves Forward

As we previously reported, the Warner Bros/AT&T merger will create some interesting developments within the WB world, most notably with DC Entertainment. And while studio head Kevin Tsujihara alluded to the idea of a DC Network being tossed around within WB, we are predicting that this will be set on the path to reality, especially as the merger solidifies as the year progresses.

Vertigo Film Announcements

The DCEU is not the only DC Entertainment film franchise being worked into a cinematic format. Vertigo, the sister franchise to DC proper, is tapped to being developed into feature films from that particular intellectual property. Unlike the DCEU, Vertigo films are slated to fall under the New Line Cinema banner, which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Vertigo guru Neil Gaiman announced a while back that the Vertigo films would be a separate slate from the DCEU.

Plans have seemed to stalled on Sandman, which was perhaps intended to be the opening salvo (and biggest project) for Vertigo, but other films have been mentioned, such as 100 Bullets and The Kitchen. And while Vertigo has already made its presence known, with 4 DCTV shows (Lucifer, iZombie, Preacher, and the ill-fated Constantine) already on the air (with a few more on the way), we are predicting that Vertigo will have a bigger presence in 2017.

More DCEU Announcements

While the DCEU is a heavy topic on everyone’s minds, we’ve heard very little thus far in terms of casting, directors, etc for films beyond Justice League. Films like Shazam and Green Lantern have been mostly silent thus far. And what about characters, the likes of Martian Manhunter (whom, along with Deathstroke, we predicted last year, but were 1-1 on that prediction), or the rumor mill of directors that the internet has been speculating over for the past year?

So this year, we are predicting that both the Shazam and Green Lantern franchises will receive some big news, most likely during San Diego Comic Con.

Speaking of which….

An Even Bigger SDCC Event

As we have reported for the past couple of years, WB and DC has dominated San Diego Comic-Con in every conceivable fashion, from live TV to animation to video games, and most especially with regards to their upcoming movies.

So this year, we expect WB/DC to do it even bigger. By the time SDCC rolls around, fans will already be reeling from the awesomeness that is the Wonder Woman film, that is set to be released nearly two months prior to the Convention. They’ll also be salivating in anticipation of Justice League, set to premiere 4 months after the Con. We really have no idea what WB has planned for this year, but predict it’s gonna be BIG.

Milestone Rise to Prominence

Ever since it was announced that Milestone and DC Entertainment were once again joining forces for Milestone 2.0 last year, big things have been expected. However, thus far, mum’s been the word on the Milestone front, in regards to any major announcements. The Static Shock live action TV show, while still in development seems to have stalled. While the Static Shock figure was announced, it doesn’t seem to been released for purchase. No announcements on the progress of the Earth-M comics have been given, which was expected to take place with DC’s Rebirth.

Thus, we are predicting that Milestone 2.0 will make its official debut in 2017, and in a big way. Milestone should be all over the place, especially at SDCC, and we should expect to see Milestone comics, merchandising, some characters appearing in DC video games, and at least some update on the Static TV series.

Expansion of  DCTV

As was mentioned in a previous article, DC Entertainment has as many TV shows in development, as they currently have on the air. That’s an awful lot of content, and while it would be a DC Enthusiast’s dream, it shouldn’t be expect that all of these shows will go into production so soon.

Therefore, out of the several DCTV shows in production, these are the ones that we predict will see the light of day in 2017:

• The Boys — Given that Cinemax (a subsidiary of Time Warner’s HBO network) has greenlit this series, that seems to indicate that WB has made this show a priority.

• Krypton — Filming seems to have already begun for this show. This is the one show that has been rumored to have some sort of DCEU connection, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out on the Syfy Channel.

• Black Lightning — With the success of DCTV shows like Gotham and Lucifer on FOX, it looks like the network is ready to take on a third helping of DC goodness. With both FOX and WB making an active push for diversity in their content, and with such an active producer in the form of Greg Berlanti, this show is sure to air sometime in 2017.

• Y: The Last Man — With recent news breaking that the Vertigo project just received a showrunner in the form of Michael Green (of American Gods, and other DC projects fame), and that the show has found a home on FOX’s subsidiary network FX, then it’s a safe bet that we will see movement on this project as well.

Big Year For Certain DC Characters

It doesn’t a genius to know that Wonder Woman will have a huge year in 2017. But what other DC characters will rise to prominence over the course of the year? Here are our predictions:

• Shazam = It’s far past time that the World’s Mightiest Mortal gets his time in the sun. Although his solo film is a couple of years away still, this would be the perfect time for his presence to rise. We’re predicting that he will play a major role in Rebirth this year, as well as many other facets of DC Entertainment multimedia.

• Green Lantern = The Lantern section of the DC Universe has enjoyed quite a bit of notoriety over the past decade, as it grew into its own sub-franchise, as a space saga that rivaled other more popular space sagas. We predict that Green Lantern will once again rise to prominence, beginning this year.

• Deathstroke = This villain extraordinaire seems to be enjoying all sorts of spotlight as of late. His comic is garnering critical acclaim, and the recent announcement of the character making at least a guest appearance in this year’s Justice League before being showcased in Ben Affleck’s solo Batman venture has certainly helped. That’s said, we think there’s a pretty good chance that we’ll see alot more of Deathstroke in 2017, and DC’s deadliest mercenary will become a household name before the year is over.

• Batwoman = Who’d have thought that Gotham’s First Lady of crime fighting would rise in status, not only to rival Batgirl in popularity, but also to earn a spot as co-leader alongside her cousin (if you don’t know who her cousin is, then you really need to brush up on your comics!!). Throw in the fact that she was not prominently featured in this years Batman: Bad Blood animated feature, but is also slated to receive her own solo comic, and this is a recipe for instant notoriety.

• Aquaman = Gone are the days of taking DC’s resident sea king as a joke. Thanks to Jason Mamoa, Aquaman has risen to the level of one of DC’s biggest badasses, and with production of the Aquaman film soon getting under way, the King of Atlantis’ profile is bound to raise even higher.

• Static Shock = Of all the Milestone characters, Static has always enjoyed the most notoriety and commercial appeal. From having his own cartoon, to appearances in a few others, in video games, comics, to his own upcoming live action TV show, Static has the potential to be the breakout character of 2017 and beyond.

What are you looking forward to most from DC? Sound off in the comments below.