'Justice League Dark' release date, casting rumors: DCEU's mystic arts heroes banding for new movie, everything to know

Delays in production impacted Warner Bros. plans for "Justice League Dark."Reuters/Eric Gaillard

DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is widening its scope with the addition of "Justice League Dark." The studio has been planning to band superheroes specializing in mystic arts together for its own movie. Reports say Warner Bros. has been trying to get this movie off the ground for years.

Talks started as early as 2013, when Guillermo del Toro and Scott Rudin agreed to produce "Justice League Dark" with Michael Gilio penning the screenplay. Del Toro eventually gave up his directorial role due to scheduling conflicts and tapped Doug Liman as the new director. The film, however, hit a snag during pre-production when both del Toro and Liman dropped out of the project as producer and director respectively.

The studio has since been looking for a replacement for Liman and as of May 2017, names like Argentinian directors Damián Szifron and Andres Muschietti were reportedly added to the choices. Warner Bros., however, has not made any confirmation thus far, but fans expect that updates about "Justice League Dark" will heighten once Comic Con gets underway in Los Angeles in June.

DCEU is also expected to announce casting confirmations once the pre-production side has been ironed out. Like the animated version of "Justice League Dark," the live-action film will feature the Master of Dark Arts, Constantine, as the major character who will carry the team.

This movie is a big deal for fans given that Constantine has been a popular figure in pop and geek culture for a while. Other rumored characters include Swamp Thing, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna and Etrigan the Demon.

When Liman was still involved, he revealed "Justice League Dark" will be a character-driven film, according to Cinema Blend. He also teased taking inspirations from classic horror movies like "The Exorcist," "Carrie," or "The Omen" for his vision.

"There's stuff to be mined from the people who have come before me that I'm planning to bring to Justice League Dark," he told the news outlet just a few weeks ago, before he quit. It remains to be seen if the movie will carry on Liman's vision.