That said, the overall creative direction of the DCEU / DC still remains unclear. Do we have two separate universes with two different Jokers? An R-rated universe and a PG-13 one? That doesn’t seem to be the exact case as the upcoming Birds of Prey will also be rated-R. Will Robert Pattinson’s Batman be a part of the DCEU? In Batman V Superman, it’s said that Wonder Woman gave up on humans after World War I, but Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman film tells us a different story. And then there’s James Gunn’s Suicide Squad, which isn’t a sequel, but a reboot, only with some of the same actors from the first film set to reprise their roles. I can only imagine how the more casual fans must feel reading this. However, it looks like we might have finally gotten some answers. In an interview with Collider, director of Birds of Prey, Cathy Yan mentioned that her upcoming film will sort of take place in a universe parallel to that of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. When asked about the challenges of making a movie on a pre-established character, Yan had this to say: Cathy Yan doubled down on her statement when she was asked if we’ll see how much time has passed since we previously saw her in Ayer’s Suicide Squad. This is very, very interesting. Considering Suicide Squad is also undergoing a reboot, it’s highly possible that the entire post-Snyder DCEU secretly takes place in an alternate timeline. A timeline where Batman doesn’t look like Ben Affleck, but like Robert Pattinson. Are Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and Wan’s Aquaman part of the alternate timeline too? It would be a smart way to explain a lot of the minor inconsistencies as well (i.e. in Justice League, Mera and Arthur had to conjure up a bubble around themselves to talk underwater, but this concept is completely disregarded in James Wan’s Aquaman). Birds of Prey hits cinemas in February 2020.
