The first phase of the new DC extended universe has now been unveiled with a “Superman” and “Batman” movie on the way along with plenty planned for television…
James Gunn and Peter Safran — the new co-CEO’s in charge of DC film, television and animation — have finally revealed a first look at an ambitious series of projects as the duo seeks to reset the entire DC extended universe over the next few years.
The duo were hired specifically to right the ship at DC where there has been a muddy mess with less and less continuity over the past few years despite desperate attempts for the studio owned by Warner Bros.-Discovery attempting to catch up to the empire Kevin Feige has assembled at Marvel Studios.
Gunn and Safran have been hard at work developing films and TV series as well as new animation projects that will cast all new actors in various roles as they attempt to create a shared universe with only a few exceptions — which will actually be titled “Elseworlds” like the ongoing “Batman” series of films and TV series from director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson.
According to Gunn, he and Safran along with a group of writers laid out an 8 to 10 year plan to set the stage for an all new interconnected DC extended universe. The actual reset will take place with “The Flash” film due out on July 16, which has already been teased as a multiverse spanning epic that effectively erases the DC universe from the past and restores a new timeline for the future.
First things first, let’s take a look at all the upcoming films, TV series and animation projects coming from DC, which Gunn labeled “Gods and Monsters”:
Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023
Superman: Legacy
The biggest swing right out of the gate will be “Superman: Legacy,” a film that Gunn is currently writing and he could possibly direct as well. The film already has a release date July 11, 2025 and Gunn has stated that this will be the “true beginning of the DCU.”
The film will not be an origin story but rather a movie that Safran says “focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing — he is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
There will a new Superman as it’s been previously reported that Henry Cavill will not be returning to the role he played in several films including “Man of Steel.” As of now, there’s no word on casting, although it’s expected that a younger actor will fill the role and continue to age up alongside the character, who will undoubtedly become a centerpiece of the DCU moving forward.
The Brave and the Bold
That name might not sound familiar yet but this will be the film that will introduce a new Batman into the DCU along with the first appearance of a new Robin named Damian Wayne — Bruce Wayne’s son.
In the comics, Bruce Wayne had a brief relationship with Talia al Ghul — daughter of longtime Batman villain Ra’s al Gul. Bruce eventually returns to Gotham City but Talia ends up pregnant and has his son yet never tells him about it until several years later.
Once reunited as father and son, Bruce begins to realize that Damian was raised by the League of Assassins and he’s already a capable fighter and assassin in his own right.
Gunn described Damian Wayne as a “little son of a bitch” but also his favorite Robin and the new film will depict a “very strange sort of father-son story about the two of them.”
The film itself is based upon a series of comic books written by Grant Morrison, who Gunn called “influential” in the plans that are coming together for the new DCU. Comics writer Tom King, who previously wrote on “Batman” comics was another person hired to help craft the new DCU as well.
Lanterns
This will be a new series produced for HBO Max that will be set in the world of the Green Lanterns, which also replaces a previous show that was in the works from uber producer Greg Berlanti. That series has now been scrapped with this new show taking its place.
Gunn and Safran seemed very excited about this particular project, which will primarily feature Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart as the lead characters but perhaps the most interesting twist was that the series will be similar in tone to “True Detective.”
The “terrifying mystery” at the center of the first season of “Lanterns” plays “a really big role leading us into the main story that we’re telling across our film and television.”
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Based on comics from Tom King that ran in 2021 and 2022, this new film will focus on Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El but this is a different version than previous iterations in the DCU.
“We see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he’s an infant, versus Supergirl, who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton, and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life.” Gunn said.
Gunn teased that this is a much more “hardcore” story involving “Supergirl” than previous versions of the character that have appeared in films or TV series such as the one led by Melissa Benoist.
Swamp Thing
One of the most interesting reveals was that a new “Swamp Thing” movie is in development for the DCU but Gunn teased this as a horror movie, which is something that hasn’t really been done by the studio previously.
Swamp Thing has been a fan-favorite among comic book readers for many years, particularly based upon a series written by critically acclaimed author Alan Moore.
“This is a much more horrific film, but we’ll still have Swamp Thing interact with the other characters,” Gunn said.
The Authority
This film will be based on a group of superheroes that actually originated in the Wildstorm imprint, which was a spinoff label at DC before the characters were eventually folded into the larger DC universe.
The comic, which was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, centered around a team that didn’t abide by the typical rules attached to superheroes — most notably they were willing to get the job done by any means necessary.
“It isn’t just a story of heroes and villains, and not every movie and TV show is going to be about good guy versus bad guy,” Gunn said. “There are people that are very questionable, like the Authority, who basically believe that you can’t fix the world in an easy manner, and they take things into their own hands.”
Safran compared “The Authority” to Jack Nicholson’s character from “A Few Good Men” who is convinced you want him on that wall and you need him on that wall — or at least that’s what they believe.
Gunn said this project in particular was one he had been very excited to develop and a script for the film is already in the works, although the writer hasn’t been revealed yet.
Paradise Lost
This is a new TV series that will focus on Wonder Woman’s home island of Themyscira with comparisons for this show to a “Game of Thrones” style epic.
“What’s the origin of an island of all women?” Gunn said. “What are the beautiful truths and the ugly truths behind all of that? And what’s the scheming like between the different power players in that society?”
The series is set on a timeline before Wonder Woman existed so it’s not clear how this will tie into the larger DCU just yet.
Waller
This will serve as a direct spinoff from Gunn’s own DC series “Peacemaker” with Viola Davis returning to the role she’s played through several films as the powerbroker behind the government’s interest in superpowered individuals.
The series is being written by Christal Henry, who previously worked on the hit HBO series “Watchmen” and Jeremy Carver, who was the creator behind the recently canceled HBO Max series “Doom Patrol.”
Booster Gold
Another TV series that Safran teased as a show that centers around “a loser from the future who uses basic future technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero.”
Booster Gold has become a cult-favorite among comic book readers and Gunn described him “imposter syndrome as a superhero.”
Creature Commandos
This will be the first jump into animation for the new DCU with a seven-episode series written by Gunn.
Gunn also said something that will be different about the new DCU will be characters from animation then appearing in live action and vice versa with plans to hopefully use the same actors voice the characters and then appear in both TV and films as well.
Of course Gunn said that this is just the first phase of what will eventually be revealed with other films and television projects on the way but this will get things started for the new DCU.
“Storytelling is always king,” Gunn said. “That’s all that matters to us and I want to be true to those stories. I want to be true to you guys and really give you something different than you’ve ever seen before.”
Given these huge announcements, it probably won’t take long before casting news begins with production on many of these films and series likely getting underway in the next year.
