Courtesy of DC
After weeks of anticipation, James Gunn revealed the first projects in the new DCU on January 31. James Gunn and Peter Safran spent the last few months putting together the first ten projects in the DCU they are constructing. They made tough decisions, including the decision to no longer continue Henry Cavill’s Superman despite his cameo in Black Adam. Despite the pressure and mixed thoughts from fans before January 31, Gunn and Safran still found a way to get fans excited about the future of DC.
The beginning of the DCU will be called Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. James Gunn acknowledged how disconnected DC has been in movies and TV, and they will fix it. The Batman and Joker were confirmed to be Elseworld stories. The Flash, a film Gunn praised, will reset things for DC. Gunn stated that certain versions of DCEU characters, such as Shazam and Aquaman, are likely to continue into the DCU, confirming this will be a soft reboot. No new projects with them have been announced yet.
Gunn started by announcing two new series. The first one, Creature Commandos, will be an animated series with seven episodes, based on the comic book team consisting of monsters that took on Nazis, although the series will be a modern take on the team. According to James Gunn, executives are looking to cast voice talent that can play these characters in live-action as well. The next series was Waller, based around Amanda Waller, once again played by Viola Davis. Davis is the first star from the original DCEU to be officially confirmed to return.
The first film Gunn announced was the Superman film he is currently writing, which is called Superman: Legacy. According to Safran, the film will focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman will also be around 25 years old, so an actor in his 20s will most likely be cast in the role. No director has been attached to the project yet. Superman: Legacy is currently scheduled to come out on July 11, 2025.
Green Lantern will finally get its series called Lanterns, with Hal Jordan and John Stewart being the main characters. Safran compared their ideas for the show to True Detectivs. This will not involve Greg Berlanti, who was working on a Green Lantern series. The next movie announced was The Authority, which will be a passion project for Gunn. The group was created in the late 1990s under the Windstorm imprint and uses extreme methods to protect people. A prequel series to Wonder Woman called Paradise Lost, based on Wonder Woman’s home island Themyscira, was announced and described as a Game of Thrones-style drama.
Another big announcement was a Batman film in the DCU. Robert Pattinson will not play Batman in the DCU. They will cast another actor for the DCU version. It is called The Brave and the Bold and will be based on Grant Morrison’s run of Batman and include the Damian Wayne version of Robin. No release date or director for the film was announced yet. While Matt Reeves Batman universe will be separate from the DCU, it will continue. The Batman: Part II is scheduled for October 3, 2025.
The last series announced was Booster Gold, a character that perfectly fits James Gunn’s style. Booster Gold is described as a loser from the future that comes to the present and pretends to be a hero. The surprise film announcement was Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which will take inspiration from Tom King’s recent comic series. This version of Supergirl will be more hardcore than previous versions of the character and different from the Superman they will have in the DCU. The last project announced was Swamp Thing, which will be a DCU horror film.
Overall, James Gunn and Peter Safran put together both a promising and unique slate with series and movies. It’s a good combination of A-list DC characters and lesser-known DC characters. There are still questions about whether certain versions of DC characters will continue, such as Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Directors such as James Mangold and Ben Affleck are currently in talks for directing projects, with Mangold rumored to be attached to Swamp Thing. The future of DC finally has a direction, and fans can’t wait to see it happen.
What are your thoughts on the DC slate? Which projects are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below.