10 Changes The DCEU Will Make After Justice League

It's fair to say Justice League didn't quite pan out the way DC and Warner Bros were hoping. Box office takings have been lower than what they would have liked and the big superhero team-up has divided fans and critics.

The studios had a clear roadmap for its follow-up movies, which include Aquaman, Shazam, Suicide Squad 2 and Flashpoint, but the way Justice League was received will no doubt see a few deviations from the plotted course.

Some films that there were pencilled in may be swiftly erased, while others that have entered development could undergo a tonal rethink. No doubt DC and Warner will think twice about renewing some of the actors' contracts, and in turn, certain stars could willingly make for the exit.

For all of the criticism it's been hit with, Justice League wasn't all bad. The returning cast members put in strong performances for the most part and there are hints of a better film in there, underneath all of that studio interference and production woes.

More importantly, there are reasons to believe it will improve in the future, especially if Warner make theses changes...

Rumours of Ben Affleck's Batcave departure emerged shortly after he took up the cape and cowl, and Justice League has only fuelled them. There were clearly hints that the DC Extended Universe is gearing up to usher out his version of the hero.

During the scene where Wonder Woman tends to Bruce Wayne's wounds from the battle with Superman, she reminds him "you can't do this forever". It's a classic 'I'm too old for this s**t' kind of moment.

By establishing the Hall of Justice in the movie's final scenes, the DCEU has paved the way for Bruce Wayne to take a backseat going forward, providing intelligence for the heroes in the field as the franchise's version of Nick Fury.

This gives Batfleck the chance to bow out gradually and gracefully, but these movies are always going to need a Dark Knight, so the role will have to be recast at some point, and sooner rather than later with Matt Reeves's The Batman on the horizon.

One option is to have Bruce pass to torch to his protege Dick Grayson, who will join the DCEU is Chris McKay's Nightwing, and another is to use the time travel-themed Flashpoint as a soft reboot and an opportunity to recast certain characters.

Either way, The Batman will feature a younger actor in the role of the Caped Crusader, possibly Jake Gyllenhaal, if recent rumours are anything to go by. Reeves appeared reluctant to use Affleck from the beginning, and Justice League's lukewarm reception is unlikely to change his mind on that.