Emphasis On The Shared Cinematic Universe Is Ending
It had to happen eventually. While we all enjoy shared cinematic universes and the infinite possibilities for crossovers and our favorite characters all on screen at the same time, it was never going to last forever.
You see, the problem is that it’s getting more and more difficult to convince a bunch of actors to dedicate their entire lives to a cinematic universe and be available for every crossover or appearance. While the regular work is certainly welcome for them, the bigger stars prefer to diversify and do other films as well, and not be held ransom by one studio.
Additionally, the mechanics of a shared cinematic universe can be restrictive to storytelling. If you choose to showcase an older Batman, as the DCEU did for example, it’s harder for you to go back and show the stories from his earlier years since it would be a time jump that’s difficult to explain and rather messy to execute.
In the long run, it makes sense to de-emphasize the cinematic universe and focus on standalones, with maybe one or two team-up movies scattered sporadically. We don’t think anyone will complain if this becomes the path of future efforts as it’ll allow more creative freedom to the filmmakers, which can only be a good thing.