After much hand wringing and foot tapping from DC and comic fans everywhere, James Gunn has finally announced what the future of the DCU holds for film, television and games! After many blog posts I’ve written over the dumpster fire that’s been posing as Warner Brothers Discovery in recent months, it’s nice to write up a piece that’s giving out some good news. And, in my opinion, it is good news! So, what did Gunn have to say?
In a short 5ish minute or so video on YouTube he laid out the plans of the DCU for the next 8-10 years. “This first chapter,” he said, “is called Gods and Monsters.” He then goes on to describe the new projects that lie ahead. Of the films that have to be released, namely Shazam 2, Blue Beetle, Aquaman 2, and The Flash, he says that they’ve been lucky in that they all fit nicely in the new direction of the DCU. He also stressed how it is his and Peter Safran’s (his co-CEO) responsibility to make sure that everything in the DCU from this point on is connected. If it’s not connected, ah-la Matt Reeve’s The Batman films, it will be marked as a DC Elseworlds project.
DC Elseworlds is a title Gunn is borrowing from DC Comics. Elseworlds is the umbrella under which DC stories exist outside of the DC cannon. It looks like he’ll be fitting The Batman, the future Joker: Folie á Deux and Teen Titans Go under that umbrella as well. So, what can we look forward to when it comes to the future of the DCU? Here’s the layout:
Chapter One Movies
Superman: Legacy: This will be release after the current slate of movies coming down the pike. Gunn is writing this script as we speak and he says it will be the first official film of this new direction. He even gave us the date: July 11, 2025.
The Authority: According to Nerdist.com this is Gunn’s “passion project” is a “big movie” that will introduce a very different group of superheroes. They believe the world is broke and needs saving. But they will also interact with all of the franchise’s other big characters.
The Brave and the Bold: This story originates with Grant Morrison’s run on the Batman comic series. This movie will bring Damien Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s actual son, into the DCU as Robin.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: This comes from a comic book written by the great Tom King (and Bilquis Evely) and will deal with a much more jaded Supergirl. Excited to see Gunn taking more modern comic stories and bringing them to the big screen.
Swamp Thing: Though “tonally outside the rest of the DCU,” this will be the origin story of Swamp Thing. It seems like it will be more of a bend towards the horror genre. Gunn assures us that it still will fit into the rest of the DCU.
Chapter One Television Shows
Creature Commandos: “The first project for the new DCU is an animated series based on characters first introduced in 1980.”-thenerdist.com.
Waller: This series will center around Amanda Waller. Who Viola Davis plays on the silver screen. She’ll be teaming up with the team from Peacemaker in this live-action TV series.
Lanterns: Directly from Gunn, “This is a couple of green lanterns, John Stewart and Hal Jordan…this is really a terrestrial based TV show. Almost like True Detective but with a couple of lanterns who are space cops watching over precinct Earth.”
Paradise Lost: Paradise Lost will take place on Themyscira, home of Wonder Woman. Gunn says it “focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women.” I’m especially excited about this project having recently read Kelly Sue DeConnick’s run on Wonder Woman: the Amazons. I know this won’t be that exactly, but having read that book, there’s some great potential there.
Booster Gold: Last but not least is Booster Gold. Gunn says he’s the world’s biggest loser who travels back in time and uses technology to become a super hero to make the world love him. I’ve never heard of Booster Gold. But if Guardians of the Galaxy show evidence of anything, is that Gunn’s specialty is taking little known comics and making them great.
These are the projects that Gunn could talk about, right now. Which hints at even more to come in the future. Which is super exciting. One of the things that I really picked up on came towards the end of Gunn’s announcement. He says, “Storytelling is always king. That’s all that matters to us.” Which is music to this writer’s ears. So many superhero films seem to be dropping the ball when it comes to the capital-S Story. And here, Gunn assures us that good stories will be told. “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.”