Warner Bros. having trouble with superhero supply chain, delays sequels to Shazam! and Aquaman

We know what you're thinking: Where are all the superhero movies? It's been, what, a week since the last one?

Well, bad news for fans of caped crusaders, at least of the DC variety, as Warner Bros. has pushed back the release dates of Jason Momoa's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Zachary Levi's Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The Shazam! sequel was originally zapping into theaters on Dec. 21 of this year, but will instead premiere on Mar. 17, next year. Meanwhile, Aquaman 2 breast-stroked all the way from what is now Shazam's new release date to Christmas Day 2023.

Steve Wilkie/DC Comics; Jasin Boland/Warner Bros. 'Shazam!' and 'Aquaman 2'

Shazam! won't have to worry about battling the long-awaited (first) Avatar sequel for eyeballs, but Aquaman will have to compete with a Star Wars spin-off, Rogue Squadron, during the ever-popular Yuletide cinema season.

Speaking of Avatar, apparently part of the decision to move Shazam!'s premiere was James Cameron's penchant for taking up a lot of screen space.

"While I'm an impatient bastard who wants people to see it as soon as possible (the film will be fully done in just a few weeks), the move makes sense since Avatar was taking all IMAX/PLF screens," Shazam! director David F. Sandberg tweeted, before channeling Gloria Swanson in Sunset Blvd.
"Fury of the Gods is a big movie & should be seen big!"

To paraphrase the great Norma Desmond, "Shazam IS big ... it's the IMAX screen availability that got small."

Sandberg does note, however, that March 2023 is "still three months earlier than our first release date." The follow-up to the 2019 film about young Billy Batson and his super-powered alter ego flew around more than a hyper-caffeinated Superman, with release dates ranging from April 1, 2022, to Nov. 4, 2022, and June 2, 2023. So hopefully Shazam comes into an easy landing next spring.

Aquaman 2 director James Wan dangled some bait to hold fans over at the news broke, sharing "a small glimpse of some artwork into the big, epic world-building we're creating" in the upcoming sequel.

Meanwhile, Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, will still be a formidable film presence early next year, but this time opposing an all-together different justice league, when he goes toe to toe with Vin Diesel and family in Fast X, scheduled for May 19.

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