DC returns to its former glory?
3 months ago Warner Bros. Discovery created a new DC studio and hired Peter Safran and James Gunn to run it. On January 31, the creatives made announcements of fresh DC projects and shared the principles of their work. Collected the main thing from the Variety material.
According to Safran, For the first time, DC Studios brings together everything related to DC — movies, TV shows, animation and even games! A creative team led by Gunn will be responsible for the entire range of entertainment — and the DCU (DC Universe — «DC Universe») will become a multiverse with several Batmans at once and even a sequel to the «Joker».
Gunn’s talented writing team includes Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), Christina Hobson (The Flash, Batgirl), Crystal Henry (Watchmen), and comic book writer Tom King (Batman, Mister Miracle). Together they will create a common DCU universe, and Henry has already been announced as co-showrunner for Waller.
The strategy aims to release two films and two TV series a year. But Gann and Safran noted that timing is not as important as quality. They are adamant that films and series will not go into production until the scripts are ready. For Marvel, this is considered the norm: the script constantly changes as filming progresses, which allows the studio to release films on predetermined dates.
However, no director is attached to future DCU projects and only one actress is known: Viola Davis will return to the role of Amanda Waller in the HBO Max show Waller. Obviously, there will be a lot of rumors and news around the DCU in the coming year regarding nominations for the main roles. Today, Gunn confirmed again that Henry Cavill will not be playing Superman.
Now let’s move on to the latest announcements.
Movies
- The Batman Part II — Batman sequel with Robert Pattinson to be! The release date is even known: October 3, 2025. The film will be part of a Matt Reeves trilogy and will not touch the new DCU.
- Superman: Legacy – much to the delight of fans, Legacy is not just another Man of Steel story. The film has also been given a release date of July 11, 2025, and Safran is confident that «the tape will be the beginning of the DCU.» The producer hopes to persuade Gunn not only to write the script, but also to direct the expected blockbuster. And yes, JJ Abrams’ Superman movie is still in development and will run in parallel.
- The Authority — the tape is dedicated to superhumans, who have a far from idealistic approach to saving the world. The original comic was written by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, but who is working on the film’s script is still unclear.
- The Brave and the Bold — a tape about Batman and Robin will tell a strange story of the relationship between father and son. In the mind of comic book author Grant Morrison, Robin is Batman’s son. But Bruce Wayne himself finds out about this 10 years after the birth of the boy.
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow — the main character of the film Kara Zor-El — Superman’s cousin. According to Gunn, this version of Supergirl is much more hardcore. The project will be handled by original comic book author Tom King.
- Swamp Thing — Horror investigates the dark origins of the Swamp Thing. Gunn is confident that it will turn out cool, and as an example he cited the Guardians of the Galaxy joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and initial doubts about how Rocket the Raccoon would work together with the conditional Thor.
Series
- Creature Commandos – Animated show HBO Max already has a script (written by Gunn) and has moved into production. The authors believe that «animation allows giant stories to be told without spending $50 million per episode.»
- Waller — the show about Amanda Waller, played again by Viola Davis, will be an «aperitif» for the DCU. Both «Waller» and Creature Commandos will be released before the new «Superman». Amanda previously appeared in Suicide Squad.
- Lanterns — The series will follow two of the most famous members of the Green Lantern Corps: test pilot Hal Jordan and former Marine John Stewart, who are engaged in an important investigation. DC Studios executives are excited about its announcement, with Safran calling the show «a huge HBO-level event» and Gunn likening it to True Detective.
- paradise lost — the prequel show «Wonder Woman» will tell about the origin of the island of all the women of Themyscira, and with a bunch of political intrigues it will remind you of the «Game of Thrones».
- Booster Gold — a frank comedy dedicated to a loser from the 25th century, who came to our time and, with the help of future technologies, pretended to be a superhero.
