It has been a worrying time for comics film fans as numerous major projects have actually just recently been cancelled. Wonder Lady 3, Guy of Steel 2, and Black Adam 2 are simply a few of the motion pictures that have been given the slice, and while this is mostly due to James Gunn’s choice to reinforce the DCEU with a reboot of some of its essential characters, it’s still frustrating for those who were looking forward to the abovementioned films.
Thankfully, not every movie within the DCEU (in its existing type) has been cancelled so there are still a few films within that universe to eagerly anticipate this year. We also have a number of motion pictures within the MCU to eagerly anticipate over the next twelve months and two brand-new comic book films from Sony! 2023 must be a great year for comics film fans then, assuming all of the noted motion pictures listed below hit their expected release dates.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Paul Rudd will be diminishing in size once more for this latest adventure featuring the small hero called Ant-Man. Evangeline Lily will be joining him as The Wasp and together, they will be taking a trip into the Quantum Zone where they will encounter all sort of weird animals in addition to the huge bad of Phase 5 of the MCU– Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
The previous Ant-Man motion pictures were great fun but relatively lightweight compared to a few of the other motion pictures within Marvel’s cinematic universe, however judging by the current trailer, this is going to be much more significant and darker in tone than what has come in the past.
Expected release date: 17th February 2023
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
2019’s Shazam was a breath of fresh air when it landed in movie theaters as it was an enjoyable and colourful experience that took itself far less seriously than the majority of the previous films set within the DCEU. The upcoming follow up guarantees to be simply as entertaining as the original however whether this is the last getaway for the hero (thinking about the modifications James Gunn is making) still stays to be seen.
Asher Angel is repeating his role as Billy Batson in the brand-new film and Zachary Levi is back as the teenager’s super-powered alter ego. Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler and Lucy Liu are handling the roles of the movie’s primary antagonists– the Greek goddesses Anthea, Hespera, and Kalypso– and judging by the trailer, Billy and his foster family will likewise be handling a dragon!
Anticipated release date: 17th March 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
As director James Gunn has actually now moved over to the DCEU, this 3rd outing for the Guardians is the last film he will be making for the MCU. We don’t think this will be the last we see of our beloved team of area heroes, nevertheless, however opportunities are, the next time we see them will be in an Avengers-type film rather than a standalone experience for Quill and his team.
Chris Pratt, David Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, and Pom Klementieff will be repeating their roles in the upcoming sequel and they will be signed up with by Will Poulter who will be making his launching within the MCU as the genetically crafted superhero, Adam Warlock. Little is understood about the plot at this point but as the script is reportedly really psychological, you might need to bring a box of tissues with you to the movie theater!
Anticipated release date: 5th May 2023
Spider-Man: Throughout the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse is extensively thought about to be one of the very best comic book movies ever made so hopes are certainly high for this second animated experience including Miles Morales as the titular web-slinger. The movie has gone through a number of hold-ups but fear not, as while a delayed release is normally a bad indication, executive manufacturers Phil Lord and Chris Miller assured fans when they discussed the film to Deadline. They stated:
“We could attempt to get it out at the original date and it would be great. But the expectation for this movie is it needs to be as groundbreaking and unique and terrific as the very first one was. So we believed ‘let’s make it fantastic.’ “
This time around, Miles will be joining up with a few new versions of his wall-crawling character, including Spider-Woman, Spider-Punk, and Spider-Man 2099. The primary antagonist of the film is The Spot, a bad guy with the capability to develop interdimensional portals, however The Vulture is also expected to make a look in this second Multi-versal film for our friendly area superhero. Check out the trailer here.
Expected release date: 2nd June 2023
The Flash
Spider-Man isn’t the only comics character heading into the Multiverse this year as The Flash– the so-called Fastest Guy Alive– will find himself in a minimum of one alternate measurement in this movie after zipping back in time in an effort to prevent his mom’s murder. Ezra Miller will be repeating his function as the super-speedy character and he will be signed up with by not one however two Batmen, played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton respectively.
Anticipate to see alternate variations of The Flash in the new movie along with Supergirl, who will be making her debut within the DCEU. Regarding who else may make an appearance, we don’t yet understand, but if the motion picture is anything like Spider-Man: No Way House, there is a possibility we might see bad guys from movies and shows from DC’s past. We are just hypothesizing however whatever occurs in the motion picture, here’s hoping it offers more than just fan service with its returning characters.
Expected release date: 16th June 2023
The Marvels
There are not one but 3 Marvel-ous characters in this follow up to 2019’s Captain Marvel. Brie Larson is repeating her role from the earlier film and she will be signed up with by Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau/Photon (Rambeau’s superhero name is speculation at this moment).
Candyman director Nia DeCosta will be directing the brand-new motion picture which isn’t just a follow up to Captain Marvel but also a follow-on from the Disney+ series Ms Marvel. The plot is being kept under wraps at the moment but as we understand Nick Fury will be in this follow up, there is a possibility the Skrulls will make an appearance eventually in the movie too. The main bad guy of The Marvels will be played by Zawe Ashton however the identity of her character has not yet been revealed.
Expected release date: 28th July 2023
Blue Beetle
Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña will be handling the role of Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle in this very first outing for the Latin American superhero that thankfully didn’t become a casualty in DC’s recent wave of cancellations. In the comic books, Reyes was the 3rd character to end up being heaven Beetle after ending up being bonded to an alien scarab however whether the film will stick carefully to his origin story still stays to be seen.
Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon stars as the atrocious Victoria Kord in the new movie and Raoul Max Trujillo (Mayans M.C.) will be looking like the film’s secondary villain, Carapax the Indestructible Male. An official run-through for the movie, which has been directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings) hasn’t yet been revealed but we expect to hear more about Blue Beetle soon.
Expected release date: 18th August 2023
Kraven the Hunter
Renowned bad guy from the Spider-Man comics Kraven the Hunter is making his big screen debut this year courtesy of Sony Pictures. Aaron-Taylor Johnson is taking on the role of the character whose biggest objective in life is to become the world’s biggest hunter, and Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe, and Alessandro Nivola will likewise remain in the film in as-yet-undisclosed functions.
The plot of the motion picture is unknown at this phase but if it’s anything like Morbius and Venom, 2 previous movies set within Sony’s Spider-Man universe, we expect to see Kraven’s origin story. Whether or not he will be more of an anti-hero than an out-and-out bad guy, we don’t yet know, but here’s hoping the movie is a lot better than the critically derided Morbius which stopped working to make a positive effect upon its release.
Anticipated release date: sixth October 2023
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
James Wan goes back to the DCEU with this sequel to his 2018 film that once again stars Jason Momoa as the titular hero. Other returning cast members include Amber Heard as Mera, Patrick Wilson as Orm, Willem Dafoe as Nuidius Vulko, and Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus. Also in the cast is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II who returns as Black Manta, the rumoured primary bad guy of this follow up.
According to Wan, this motion picture will be a little more severe than the first, with more importance to the world we are living in today. We do not quite understand what he was alluding to however as Aquaman will obviously be hired to conserve the world from irreversible devastation (according to the plot summary), we suspect the movie might have a strong ecological message weaved into the plotline. As this could be the last we see of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman — the character will likely be restarted as part of the modifications happening within the DCEU– we hope the movie supplies a fitting send-off for the actor and the Atlantean hero!
Expected release date: 25th December 2023
Which of these comics movies are you most looking forward to? Which do you think will be the greatest disappointments? Let us know your ideas in the comments section below.