James Gunn announces DC plans
By Kieran Burt.
After an excruciating wait, James Gunn has finally revealed the first phase of plans for the new DC universe (DCU). He confirmed that this first chapter of the shared universe will be called Gods and Monsters, and shared the first ten projects.
He posted this update on Twitter, and confirmed that The Flash will reset the current continuity. His new universe will be one where games, animation, live action TV shows and films will be all in the same continuity.
Creature Commandos: A seven episode animated series, written by Gunn, and is already in production. The voice actors haven’t been cast yet, but they will also portray the characters in live action. The group is a team of monsters assembled to take on the Nazis in the comics, but this series will be a more modern take.
Waller: In a spinoff of Gunn’s own HBO Max series Peacemaker, Viola Davis will return and team up with Team Peacemaker. Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver, the creator of the Doom Patrol are writing the series.
Superman: Legacy: The movie will feature a younger Man of Steel that Gunn is writing and may direct, although there is no confirmation. This is the true start of the first chapter. A release date of July 11, 2025, has been set. Superman has not yet been cast.
Lanterns: A story about primarily two lanterns, John Stewart and Hal Jordan, (but will feature more) this will be a Earth based TV show, similar to True Detective. They discover a terrifying mystery that will feed into the larger DCU.
The Authority: A movie based on a team of superheroes who think the world is broken, and who will go to extreme lengths to fix it.
Paradise Lost: James Gunn describes this HBO Max series as a Game of Thrones style drama set on Themyscira, filled with lots of political intrigue and scheming. It takes place before Wonder Woman, and likely the rest of the DCU
The Brave and the Bold: “The introduction of the DCU’s Batman,” said Gunn, and it will feature his son, Damien Wayne, as Robin, who is more of an assassin. The story will be based on Grant Morrison’s run on the character. It will be the start of the introduction of the Bat-family in the DCU
Booster Gold: An HBO Max series based on a unique hero created in 1986. He is a loser from the future, who comes back to the past and uses his future technology to pretend to be a hero. “It is basically the superhero story of imposter syndrome,” says Gunn.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Taking cues from the recent Tom King run on the character, this movie promises a different take on Supergirl, and turn it into a sci-fi epic. Gunn says that she is different to Superman, as she watched everyone she loved die so becomes jaded.
Swamp Thing: A horror film about the origins of Swamp Thing to close out the first part of the first chapter.
Any TV show or film not inside this DCU will be labelled as a DC Elseworlds story. These stories will include the 2024 Joker sequel titled Joker: Folie à Deux, and the newly titled The Batman Part II, which is the second instalment of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s Batman franchise. It will be released Oct 3, 2025.
And that’s the huge announcement for DC. The projects are subject to possible change, but hopefully not.
