DC Extended Universe

The DC Extended Universe is a shared cinematic universe created by director Zack Snyder and based on a screenplay by writer Will Beall.

Origin
In 2011 Warner Brothers hired screen writer Will Beall to write a screenplay based on Detective Comic's Justice League.

Production History
Man of Steel (2013)

Viggo Mortensen was approached for Zod before Michael Shannon was cast.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Prior to production Warner Brothers registered dozens of domain names. Some of the films potential titles were Man of Steel: Battle the Knight, Man of Steel: Darkness Falls, & Man of Steel: Shadow of the Night.

Josh Brolin was originally approached to play Bruce Wayne/Batman. After Brolin turned down the part, Ben Affleck was chosen in the role. Olga Kurylenko & Gal Gadot auditioned for the role of Wonder Woman. Gadot was ultimately the one chosen for the part.

Suicide Squad (2016)

Tom Hardy was cast as Rick Flag, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Joel Kinnaman was chosen for the role of Flag after Hardy's departure. Ryan Gosling was originally sought for the role of the Joker before Jared Leto was finally chosen for the part.

Wonder Woman (2017)

Zack Snyder originally envisioned Wonder Woman as a vicious, jaded warrior who has chased Ares across battlefields throughout the ages. The Crimean War (1854 - 1856) was rumored to be the original setting for the film.

Justice League (2017)

Mark Wahlberg was approached for the role of Green Lantern before the character was cut from the film. Abbey Lee was rumored to be up for the role of Black Canary before the character was cut.

Canceled Future
Justice League 2

Justice League 3