Are You Too Superhero-Saturated For The Flash?

When it comes to superhero movies, how much is too much? Warner Bros. has announced its 2011 slate and its plans for 2012 (more on that in a minute), and they involve Green Lantern, The Flash, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman. If you think that's a whole lot of heroes to deal with from one studio over the next few years, there's even more where that came from.

In just the first seven months of 2011, audiences will get The Green Hornet, Green Lantern, Thor, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America. The latter three are top-tier Marvel franchises that will be released no more than a month apart from each other in the summer, each subsequent installment kneecapping the prior film's theatrical legs upon release (if the DC property Green Lantern hasn't done enough damage to them already).

Then, in 2012, WB has scheduled the next Batman for summer and Superman for winter and is hoping to at least add The Flash to that calendar slate. Those comic characters will be going up not just against the rebooted Spider-Man but also Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, the Hulk, and many more superheroes all stuffed into Marvel's mashup The Avengers -- and we're not even counting the unannounced caped crusaders who will start staking out 2012 release dates in the coming months.

Sure, this is a genre that's currently booming, but I can't help but wonder if by overfeeding the audience, studios may find fewer and fewer people looking for another helping.

Anyway, here's the WB slate for 2011, announced today at a Time Warner investors meeting:

Red Riding Hood: April 22, 2011

The Hangover 2: May 26

Green Lantern (3D): June 17

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (3D): July 15

Journey to the Center of the Earth 2 (3D): Sept. 23

Happy Feet 2 (3D): Nov. 18

New Year's Eve: Dec. 9

Sherlock Holmes 2: Dec. 16

Warner Bros. sets 'Sherlock' sequel date; 'Flash' close to greenlight [THR]