About a thousand questions came with the news that Warner Bros. were developing a script for Justice League — you probably asked a few of them yourself — and, if anything, this next story is only bound to bring more. A few days after that announcement, Variety claims the studio is getting very serious about their relationship with DC Comics — as in, they would really like to capitalize on the once-touted ambition to make superheroes their next boy wizard.

It’s been known for some time that, with Christopher Nolan‘s departure, Batman will be getting a reboot somewhere down the line, but they’re also looking toward “Flash, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Lobo, the Suicide Squad, and Shazam” as future prospects; if all of those start their own franchise, they’ve already set quite the long-term plan in place. Realistically, even one or two of those could tank, they’d still have a potential leg-up on Marvel. Warner Bros. would probably like for that to be the case.

So, needless to say, it could all pan out in ways the studio dare not even dream of. Although the lackluster performance of Green Lantern created a dark cloud over the prospect of non-Batman, non-Superman DC heroes taking their own films, talks are (apparently) still surrounding a Green Lantern sequel. That’s something most of us had thought dead — the last report on it came a little over ten months ago, for one thing — and it might never get anywhere, seeing as the “R” word is apparently making the rounds. I’d think it’s too soon for a film that came out less than a year ago, but if, for instance, The Amazing Spider-Man proves to be a big hit…

There’s also the issue of someone like Nolan — a creative voice who puts their own stamp on properties — not coming a dime a dozen; should they want to do this seriously, the studio feels as though that sort of voice is needed for projects to really “work.” And, on that note, big decisions won’t be coming in until The Dark Knight Rises opens next month, after which a wildly different DC landscape needs to be faced. It’s a big risk but, with plans these massive and ambition that we can only hope is a match, I’m genuinely curious about what all this could bring for years and years to come.

Could the large development of DC properties be a smart move on WB’s part?