James Gunn And Peter Safran Have Unveiled The First Ten DC Studios Projects, Ushering In 'Gods And Monsters'

Feb 1

Well, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn kept his promise. He had said he would present his first slate of films in the new DC Universe. It happened on Monday privately for the press to do their writeups in advance for today’s public reveal. While this writer was expecting just two films, ten projects were presented totaling five films and five TV series, and one of those TV series is animated. Covering 2025 to 2027, it’s all part of the first chapter, Gods and Monsters.

The new universe begins with Gunn’s Superman film, Superman: Legacy. Reiterated as not an origin story, it focuses on Clark “balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing,” DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran stated. It is certainly satisfying to hear the extent of how much Superman is a priority in these plans. It is set for release on July 11, 2025. The next announced film project brings to mind Gunn’s affinity for the obscure, with The Authority. Calling the adaptation a passion project, the team is a group of superheroes wanting to fix what they view as a broken world, a very ends-justify-the-means team. It “leads directly” from Superman: Legacy, though the meaning is ambiguous between the plot and/or release timeline. The characters come from WildStorm, which was an independent studio before becoming a DC imprint by the end of the ‘90s. When the imprint was initially shuttered in 2010, the team joined the mainstream DC universe through the New 52 reboot. The film is being written now.

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The Batman film to debut the iteration of the caped crusader for the core universe is simply titled The Brave and the Bold. It’s based on Grant Morrison’s run, a writer who greatly influenced this new universe. The film will also feature Batman having living sidekicks again, as the Robin mantle returns for the first time since Batman & Robin in 1997. However, this won’t star Tim, Dick, or Carrie, but instead, Damian Wayne, who started regularly appearing in 2006. He is Gunn’s favorite Robin. Supergirl will be getting a film in this universe’s first chapter, though most probably not the one they were heading to with Sasha Calle. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is a story based on Tom King’s run over the past couple of years, with a jaded Kara who experienced Krypton’s destruction at a much younger age, raised on a piece of Krypton’s remains while everyone died around her. And the final film is Swamp Thing, which explores the dark origin of the character. It’s a horror film too, quickly diversifying the types of films the slate has.

On the TV side, Gunn first presented his first greenlight, Creature Commandos. The one animated series of the slate, Gunn, who wrote every episode, explained that most live actors will reprise in animation and vice versa, as seen in the Arrowverse and Marvel’s What If? While the source material features Frankenstein’s monster teaming up with a werewolf, a vampire, and a gorgon to fight Nazis in World War II, the team roster will be looking a little different, with Weasel from The Suicide Squad and Rick Flag Sr. also present. Speaking of The Suicide Squad, Gunn’s increased duties have put Peacemaker on a bit of a longer break. During that break, however, it’s getting its own Book of Boba Fett-like time-biding spinoff in Waller, which is confirmed greenlit after having been reported in development a few months ago. Viola Davis is back in the role of course, and Team Peacemaker will be appearing. It’s executive produced by Christal Henry and Doom Patrol creator Jeremy Carver. Gunn’s been liking the work thus far, and both projects will be released before Superman: Legacy and the rest of the films start arriving.

Unfortunately, there does come some bad news. The Green Lantern series three+ years into development as one of HBO Max’s earliest announced shows will not make it to the new DC Universe after all. In its latest iteration, it had been refocused on John Stewart. It’s been replaced by Lanterns, which instead of Berlanti’s space opera vision, is a “huge HBO-quality event” that is “very much in the vein of True Detective”, with Stewart now joined by probably the most well-known of the Caucasian Lanterns, Hal Jordan. Safran calls the show “very important”, as the central mystery ties into the broader story being told across the universe. Then there’s Paradise Lost, described as Game of Thrones but for the Amazons, Wonder Woman’s people, taking place well before her birth. Is it Krypton all over again? And finally, we have a Booster Gold solo series. “Imposter syndrome as a superhero” takes center stage. Time will tell about its casting, as the previous live-action iteration, played by Donald Faison went unexplored due to Legends of Tomorrow’s cancellation. No expectation of his return of course, but continuing with a POC portrayer wouldn’t be too terrible

All series will be for HBO Max, and this new core universe will be set in motion by the events of The Flash. The writers’ room assembled to take on this project consists of King, Henry, Drew Goddard, Jeremy Slater, and Christina Hobson.