There’s no better time to be a comic book fan than right now. The movies are dominating the box office with both Black Panther and Infinity War pushing their way into the ranks of the highest grossing movies ever made.
It’s not only limited to the big screen, though. Comic books are being adapted everywhere. There are almost too many shows to count from both Marvel and DC, not even counting series based on so many indie comics.
DC has built an entire universe at CW, just as Marvel has done at Netflix.
Spider-Man will return to the universe of open-world adventure games that he helped to define with ActiVision’s Spider-Man on the original PlayStation for the new PS4 game, while other Marvel properties are promised to receive new games as well.
DC has been dominating the gaming sphere for years with mega-hit titles like the Arkham series and Injustice.
From comics to TV to movies, superheroes are all over the place—and comics aren’t just limited to them either, of course. There are so many comic based properties coming down the pipeline that they can be hard to keep track up.
Because of that, we’ll be counting down some of the biggest movies, shows and games that are currently in development as well as the ones that are only a rumor at the moment.
Here are the 15 Comic Book Projects In Development (And 15 That Are Rumored).
30. In Development: Harley Quinn Animated Series
Making its debut on the DC Universe streaming service when that launches this Fall, this adult-oriented animated take on Harley Quinn is very exciting.
This was announced after FX’s Deadpool, which had Donald Glover attached as showrunner.
Now that that series has been canceled, Harley Quinn is going to be able to have a little bit more breathing room.
While it will apparently feature the voice of Margot Robbie, there’s no real clear indication that it will be set in the DC Extended Universe
. In fact, it would be pretty surprising if that turned out to be the case.
Either way, it’s exciting to have a Harley Quinn show that will embrace the character on her own for a more mature audience, similar to the tone of the DC animated movies.
29. Rumored: The Question
The Question is a visually striking DC character that would make for a terrific movie or series if handled right.
The character traditionally wears a trench coat and hat, going for a very film noir appearance with one main exception: they have a totally blank face.
Originally depicted as a man, Gotham police officer Renee Montoya has taken up the mantle in recent years.
It would not be surprising to see that version get adapted if The Question were to happen as not only would it feel current to the comics, it would also allow for some welcome diversity.
While there’s no concrete word on whether or not The Question is coming to the screen any time soon, it’s been rumored more and more over the last few years with Kevin Smith especially noting that he would love to take a crack at it.
28. In Development: Birds of Prey
While Birds of Prey is in development and a script is being written, it’s not totally clear exactly what the film is going to be or even what characters are going to be in it.
Batgirl and Black Canary seem like must-haves, but there have also been heavy rumors that Harley Quinn will be involved.
Whether she is an antagonist or an unlikely member of the team remains to be seen, if there’s even any truth to her involvement at all.
It’s interesting to note that Quinn was the villain on the short-lived Birds of Prey TV series as well.
In this case, it’s clear that DC wants to make the most out of the character following her debut in Suicide Squad, whether it be in her own movie, Birds of Prey or Sirens.
27. Rumored: Man of Steel 2
Man of Steel 2 has been rumored for a long time. As soon as Batman v Superman hit it was completely unclear if Warner Bros had any plans for a true sequel to the first movie in the DC Extended Universe, or if there’s even any kind of plan for another solo Superman film of any kind.
Speculation has abound with Matthew Vaughn especially causing some heads to turn after announcing how much he would love to do a Superman movie.
Henry Cavill just recently posted a video insinuating he was getting in shape to don the blue suit again.
Could that be for a new Superman adventure? If so, it would be a total surprise as there’s nothing currently listed in DC’s schedule that is set to feature Superman in a starring role.
26. In Development: Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 Game
This game, due out in September, is getting a lot of good press.
It clearly aims to go back to the revolutionary early 2000s era of Spider-Man games and what made those years so great, while also embracing everything about the fantastic possibilities in gaming today.
The gameplay that’s been shown so far has already gotten fans incredibly excited and only a few details about the story are really known, allowing for some surprises as one plays the game.
The things that have already been revealed are sure to excite people, though, as Miles Morales will also be included in the game and it appears to promise a showdown between Spider-Man and the Sinister Six.
25. Rumored: X-23
Ever since Daphne Keene’s breakout performance as Laura in Logan, there have been rumors of a spinoff film for the young character and the group of new mutants she went off with at the end of that movie.
James Mangold has suggested several times that this is something he would love to do and there has been some heavy hinting at the start of development on a solo feature, but there’s never been any kind of official confirmation.
So far, the X-Men spinoff movies have been proving to be incredibly impressive and there’s great potential for an X-23 movie.
The success of It could only work in this movie’s favor, proving that R-rated features about younger characters can be incredibly successful.
24. In Development: Y: The Last Man
Brian K. Vaughn’s Y: The Last Man is a comic that people have been trying to adapt for years as both a film and a television series.
It’s almost seemed like it was going to happen a few times, but this time looks truly concrete.
The concept revolves around a mysterious virus that wipes out every man on earth, leaving only Yorick Brown alive. It’s a series that makes complete sense to tackle now as it allows for a huge female cast.
Jodie Foster has already joined the series as Yorick’s mother, with the producers already noting that the character’s role will be expanded from the comics.
23. Rumored: Blade
Marvel got the rights to Daredevil, Ghost Rider, The Punisher and Blade all at once. At this point, they have managed to do new things with every one of those characters except Blade.
Kevin Feige has said that there are plans for Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, although it’s not clear at all when that would be.
Wesley Snipes has apparently also had meetings with Marvel about the possibility of reprising the character.
Either way, nothing is set in stone at this point. It would make the most sense for Blade to make his way into the Netflix universe, but whether that could ever happen remains to be seen.
22. In Development: Batgirl
For some time Batgirl appeared to be on the fast track with writer/director Joss Whedon at the time. It then sat for awhile before
Whedon noted that he simply didn’t have a story for the character and stepped away from the project.
After that, the project was completely retooled to shoot for both a female writer and a female director. Now Batgirl has become one of the most exciting and anticipated DC movies on the horizon.
It’s unclear at this point exactly how the solo Batgirl will differ from other movies planned to include the character, or if they will even actually be connected.
Hopefully, the character’s return to the big screen happens sooner rather than later, whatever form it takes.
21. Rumored: Defenders 2
It’s been rumored ever since it ended, but for whatever reason, a reteaming of the Marvel Netflix characters seems incredibly unlikely, at least as another season of Defenders.
While the cast have been up for it, they’ve been clearly skeptical in interviews and head of Marvel TV Jeph Loeb has made it sound like a near-impossibility.
The Defenders was announced as a one-off, but as they were promoting it, it began to sound like part of a bigger plan.
When it comes down to it, though, the series did not do as well as Marvel wanted and had it proved to be a smash hit, a second season would have been far more likely.
20. In Development: Hellboy
Although Guillermo Del Toro does not get to close out his trilogy, it’s nonetheless exciting to have Hellboy returning to the screen.
This time it’s David Harbour of Stranger Things under the makeup rather than Ron Perlman in a reboot that plans to go back to the pulpier, more horror-oriented world of the original comic book incarnation.
With creator Mike Mignola having written the script, it should be able to do that.
Given that this is a scaled-back reboot, there’s no better person to direct it than The Descent helmer Neill Marshall who has again and again proven his ability to tackle this kind of material and has gone on to prove his talents on a larger scale directing series like Game of Thrones.
19. Rumored: Doctor Strange 2
While Doctor Strange was successful, it could be the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film to not be given a sequel.
There’s nothing currently in the schedule that would suggest a return to the world of the mystic arts.
Yet the movie completely left itself open to a sequel and both writer C. Robert Cargill and director Scott Derrickson have expressed their eagerness to return for a sequel, even noting that if it were to happen, they would choose to use Nightmare as the villain.
Still, it seems surprisingly unlikely that this movie would happen, especially with how many other movies Marvel has in development at the moment, although it would be welcome if it did.
18. In Development: Locke & Key
For some reason, Joe Hill’s Locke & Key comic book series has had an incredibly hard time making it to the screen.
The horror comic has an ever-growing fan base and there have been two attempts to turn this into a series before, both of them filming pilots.
Hulu only recently made the decision to pass on the pilot, but Netflix have saved the show with a straight-to-series order.
However, even now, they have elected not to use the pilot filmed for Hulu and will relaunch with a completely new cast.
Still, it’s exciting to finally see this project get off the ground, especially for fans who have been waiting over a decade for the comic series to finally receive some kind of adaptation.
17. Rumored: Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson was cast as the DC Extended Universe’s Black Adam years ago, at this point, and the character still has yet to make an appearance.
There was even a time when fans expected him to make a surprise cameo in Suicide Squad to set up his role in the DCEU, but that never happened.
Being the chief antagonist of Shazam, it would make all the sense in the world for him to appear in that, but that appears to not be the case either.
For awhile it seemed like there was a solo Black Adam film in the cards, but there’s been no word on its development, so it’s impossible to tell where that one stands at this point.
16. In Development: Shazam
Although they likely won’t be able to use the words Captain Marvel, Billy Batson is headed to the big screen played by Zachary Levi in a film directed by David F. Sandberg.
The movie has already been shot and judging simply by the one official piece of artwork and the leaked set photos, it looks to easily be the lightest and most fun entry in the DC Extended Universe to date.
That’s a nice surprise, especially coming from the director of Lights Out and already shows a refreshing degree of versatility.
This movie could truly be a surprise hit, a sort of superhero retelling of Big, and it will be exciting to see how it all comes together.
15. Rumored: Nightwatch
Nightwatch is a relatively obscure Marvel character hailing from Spider-Man’s corner of that universe.
The rumor is that this movie would be developed as a part of Sony’s extended Spider-Man universe, alongside things like Venom, Morbius and Silver and Black.
The most surprising thing, though, is who is apparently being courted to helm the feature. Legendary director Spike Lee has apparently been in talks with Sony about bringing the character to life.
Given the director’s track record and the fact that he could probably do any character he wanted, it’s very surprising to think that Lee would take on such an unknown vigilante.
However, perhaps he’s seen something in the story that spoke to him. Or it could just not be happening at all.
14. In Development: Watchmen
People have been trying to wrap their heads around exactly what Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen series is going to be about.
Some have suggested it might only take the DNA of that comic and what it was about and would instead take on all new characters.
Others have interpreted Lindelof’s description as being a sequel series, especially with the showrunner saying that the original story was “gospel” and would not be touched.
It sounds like any number of surviving characters might make an appearance, maybe even some ones that didn’t survive as well.
It’s all speculation at this point, but Jeremy Irons has already officially been cast.
13. Rumored: Square Enix Avengers Game
With how successful DC has been in gaming over the past ten years, it’s surprising that Marvel hasn’t really fought to capitalize on that.
There hasn’t been an Avengers game since the movies came out, which is honestly shocking.
Lately, Square Enix has been heavily teasing an unnamed Marvel project. Many fans have been led to believe that this has to be an Avengers game.
It likely could be, but there’s no confirmation at all as to what it could be.
If there’s an Avengers game in the works, then it could really put Marvel back on the map gaming-wise, along with the PS4 Spider-Man game.
12. In Development: Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is an exciting new series coming exclusively to the DC Universe streaming service, which launches this Fall.
Originally created in 1963, this team of reluctant heroes has undergone many different incarnations.
In the upcoming show, the team will consist of Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl, Crazy Jane and The Chief.
They will be brought together by none other than Cyborg. Although Cyborg is a key member of the Teen Titans, it’s unclear if he’ll be part of the Titans series as well.
Either way, this is a show that really has the potential to stand on its own and have its own unique flavor that’s different from the other series surrounding it, similar to Marvel’s Runaways.
11. Rumored: Namor
Namor is a character that has been rumored for years and years, going all the way back to the early 2000s, following the release of X-Men and Spider-Man.
However, he’s never made an appearance, even now that the MCU is twenty movies deep.
Lately, rumors have been persisting that Namor will be joining the MCU, especially now that DC has managed to put Aquaman on the screen. It’s unlikely, though, because of a licensing issue that would prevent the character’s inclusion.
Fans may not be able to see Namor for the same reason they can’t have a solo Hulk movie.
The character’s screen rights are owned by Universal and there’s no pre-existing Marvel partnership that would allow for him to find his way into the movies, unless Marvel’s worked out a surprise deal.
