[_____V_____]

Lobo

Release Date: 2012

Development Status: Well this project came out of both left field and from the pits of development hell. Earlier in September 2009, the brothers Warner announced that Lobo and his unique sensibilities would be coming to the big screen, thanks in part to producer Joel Silver and director Guy Ritchie. According to the trades, the studio plans to ramp up production next year, with a PG-13 script from Don Payne (The Simpsons, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, My Super Ex-Girlfriend). Watchmen actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who is filming The Losers for Silver and Warners, has lobbied to play the title role.

So yes, Lobo has a movie in the works, and, yes, more is known about it than what is happening with the Superman franchise. Glad to see Warner Bros. has their priorities in order.


Shazam

Release Date: Unknown

Development Status: Shazam is another superhero movie with a lot of buzz that has, so far, amounted to little. Last year Peter Segal was announced to be directing the movie after handling the sequel to Get Smart. Rumors persisted that The Rock would star in the film. Whether he might play Captain Marvel, his nemesis Black Adam, or even both at once was never made clear.

Unfortunately, Shazam's screenwriter declared the movie to be dead in the water early this year. The combination of the writer's strike and The Dark Knight appeared to have claimed another victim. On the other hand, The Hollywood Reporter more recently suggested that Segal is still attached to the film, and we now know that a new writer has been brought in to tackle a Shazam script.

It's heartening to know the film isn't dead just yet, but at this point we're not expecting Shazam to drop until well into next decade.


Superman: Man of Steel

Release Date: Unknown

Development Status: A lot of rumors are circling about the Last Son of Krypton's next movie, and unfortunately none of them seem to gel into anything that says one can expect more Man of Steel on the big screen anytime soon.

Recently, Mark Millar revealed that he has never pitched his rumored take on Superman to the studio, as he never does pitch. And Diane Nelson, the new boss of DC Entertainment, "actually doesn't have any current plans for Superman." The Siegel estate recently won a court ruling giving them back ownership of the key elements of Supes' origin story, and now the clock is ticking on when Warners has to have a Superman movie in theatres before they lose the rights. If the studio doesn't get a movie into production by 2011, and figure out how to navigate telling a Superman story without at least giving lip service to his origin, Superman Returns will have to sustain our Clark Kent fix.


Wonder Woman

Release Date: Unknown

Development Status: Of all the movies on this list, Wonder Woman seemed to have had the best shot at making it into the shooting stage. In 2005, Joss Whedon was brought in to write and direct Wonder Woman. However, Whedon and the studio never seemed to agree on a story direction for the film, and Whedon finally left the project in 2007.

For a brief time, it appeared that Jessica Biel would star as the Amazonian heroine in the JLA movie, but that too fell through when the project stalled. Producer Joel Silver confirmed the film was in limbo in late 2007, and little seems to have changed since then.

This year, the news has been nothing but depressing for WW fans. First, Megan Fox retaliated against widespread rumors she would don the costume, doing nothing to hide her disdain for the character. And when The Hollywood Reporter gave readers an update on current DC projects, fans were not reassured. According to the story, Warners is finding it difficult to adapt the character to film in a way that they feel will appeal to modern viewers, and have all but given up for the time being.

Hopefully, the creation of DC Entertainment will mean Wonder Woman can finally be put on the fast track to production. (Rumor has it that, as a result of this corporate reorg, Silver is no longer involved with the project.) If not, Wonder Woman may be stuck on the sidelines with fellow JLA-ers like Aquaman and Martian Manhunter who probably won't debut on screen until the eventual JLA movie.


Y: The Last Man

Release Date: 2011 (rumored)

Development Status: This movie seemed to drop dead faster than the world's male population. Eagle Eye helmer DJ Caruso is attached to tell the story of Yorrick and his monkey Ampersand's journey through a post-apocalyptic wasteland populated by women, but the project seems to have stalled recently. Caruso was courting his Eagle Eye star Shia LaBeouf to play the lead, but in June 2009 the actor said he is no longer interested in the part.

Without a bankable star in the title role and with a script in heavy rewrite status, Brian K. Vaughn's bold graphic novel, and the first look at a live-action Agent 355, will remain on the back burner. For now.