http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118056432
New game would likely bow in 2014 at the earliest. Title was not discussed during the E3 games confab in June, with WBIE focusing on unveiling "Injustice."
Opening up Batman's world would make sense given that Warner Bros. is eager to replicate the success Marvel and Disney have had with "The Avengers," which has grossed $1.5 billion this summer at the worldwide box office and minted even more coin from the sale of toys and other licensed merchandise.
As Warner Bros. polishes a "Justice League" script by "Gangster Squad" scribe Will Beall that it hopes to get up on the bigscreen in 2015, the rest of the studio's divisions are making moves to fulfill Time Warner's mandate to monetize its stable of iconic superheroes:
•The studio is prepping the family pic "Lego: The Piece of Resistance," which will star Batman and Superman as animated mini-figures.
•Warner Home Video released its animated feature-length direct-to-homevid pic "Justice League: Doom" in February.
•Cartoon Network launched a new DC Nation programming block in the spring, showcasing heroes from DC's library, with shows anchored by "Young Justice" and "Green Lantern: The Animated Series."
•The CW will premiere "Arrow," about the Green Arrow, this fall.
•Warner Bros. Consumer Products brokered a deal with Lego and Mattel to create action figures and playsets featuring all of DC's heroes, which include the Justice League's main members. Division earned $6 billion from licensing deals last year and hopes to grow that through the new toy pacts.
•DC Comics relaunched the "Justice League" books last year as part of the New 52 reboot.
•And DC Entertainment kicked off its "We Can Be Heroes" campaign in January, with singer Chris Daughtry as its ambassador, to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger in Africa. Effort involves Warner Bros. and Time Warner's other divisions and leans on the Justice League characters to educate the public on the issue. At Comic-Con, DC is hosting a "Darkness & Light: Art Inspired by Heroes & Villains, Hope & Heroism" art exhibit at the Michael J Wolf gallery, with sales benefitting the campaign.
These are just the first of a slew of projects expected to bow from WB's various divisions, sources tell Variety.