LOS ANGELES -- Warner Bros. dropped a motherlode of movie news on Wednesday, from Harry Potter spinoffs to major DC Comics films and Lego Movie sequels galore.
The announcements were made at the Time Warner investor conference in Burbank -- a curious choice, as each of these films could have dominated a day's news cycle -- but clearly Time Warner wanted to present a united message, including the announcement that HBO would soon be available as a standalone streaming service.
For starters, the studio confirmed the dates for three Harry Potter spinoffs, based on J.K. Rowling’s original story and screenwriting debut Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The films are set for 2016, 2018 and 2020, with David Yates, who steered the original franchise's final installments, directing.
In addition, three Lego movies will also debut over the next four years: Ninjago in 2016, directed by Charlie Bean; The Lego Batman Movie in 2017, directed by Chris McKay; and The Lego Movie 2 in 2018.
Finally, 10 new DC Comics movies will be released between 2016 and 2020, including:
Justice League Part One, DC's major team-up following Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, will also star Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill and be directed by Zack Snyder
Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer, for 2016
Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot, for 2017
The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, for 2018
Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa, for 2018
Shazam, with Dwayne Johnson set to star as the quasi-villain Black Adam, for 2019
Justice League Part Two, also directed by Zack Snyder, for 2019
Cyborg, starring Ray Fisher, for 2020
Another shot at Green Lantern, with no one yet cast in the title role, for 2020