What’s the Latest on the DCU? James Gunn and Peter Safran Fill Us In
It’s been just over two years since James Gunn and Peter Safran mapped out their initial slate of projects for DC Studios and what would be the newly revamped DCU, a new interconnected universe of superhero movies and films based on DC characters and kicking off in earnest with Gunn’s “Superman” arriving this summer.
So where do they stand? In a press event last week on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, Gunn and Safran held court with journalists about all they had cooking, the stuff that’s moving forward and the stuff that has lost the wind in its sails or has hit a snag. That included everything from details on the studio’s Batman films — both the DCU film “The Brave and the Bold” and updates on the non-canon “The Batman 2” from Matt Reeves — as well as a potential “Teen Titans” movie and the update on “Sgt. Rock” now that Daniel Craig has dropped out.
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Two years ago, Gunn and Safran announced 10 different projects, some of which are in production or slated to begin soon, while others have stalled. But as they said back then and again in this most recent session, key for DC is to not green light anything until they feel a script is locked and secure, a marked difference from how things have been done and are still done at Marvel.
“Superman” hits theaters on July 11, but after that, things are looking good, with the plan to release two live-action features and an animated film and two live-action series and an animated series per year.
On the immediate horizon, “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars Milly Alcock as Supergirl, is halfway through production in London. “Lanterns,” the Green Lantern series for HBO starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, just began production in Los Angeles. Gunn’s “Peacemaker” series will debut its second season in August. And the most promising update was for “Clayface,” a body horror film based on a Batman villain that has a script by Mike Flanagan and is being directed by James Watkins (“Speak No Evil”). That project was not initially on DC’s initial slate of 10, but Gunn and Safran said the script was strong enough to lock it in. The hope is to shoot the film this summer for release in fall 2026.
On the animation front, the studio is in pre-production on a family film, “Dynamic Duo,” which would follow both of the Robins — Dick Grayson and Jason Todd — who fought alongside Batman. And the studio is developing an animated series about “Blue Beetle” that would continue the events seen in the 2023 live-action film. Also greenlit are younger-skewing animated series “My Adventures with Green Lantern,” “Starfire,” and “DC Super Powers.”
As for Batman, the studio is in active development on “The Brave and the Bold,” which would introduce a new Batman to the DCU, but no cast is attached and a script isn’t locked. “The Batman 2,” which would have Robert Pattinson reprise his role as Bruce Wayne and is not a part of the DCU canon, also does not have a completed script and was recently pushed back for release in 2027. Finally, whether “The Penguin” returns for a second season is still unclear and depends on the return of Colin Farrell, among other factors.
Gunn and Safran had fewer updates to share on three other titles all announced among the initial slate of 10, those being the “Suicide Squad” spinoff series “Waller” starring Viola Davis, a “Booster Gold” series, and a film based on the ’90s team of heroes “The Authority.” “Waller” has been on a “bumpy road,” “Booster Gold” required them to pivot away from a previously enthusiastic showrunner, and “The Authority” has so far not been a “priority,” as Gunn said. And “Swamp Thing” from James Mangold has been on the backburner amid Mangold’s awards campaign for “A Complete Unknown.”
Gunn and Safran also addressed some of the rumored projects that had never been officially announced. “Sgt. Rock” had been in the news when it was reported that Daniel Craig was no longer in talks to star in the film, but the execs said he was never attached and they never met with him. Ana Nogueira, who wrote “Supergirl: World of Tomorrow,” is also working on a script for a “Teen Titans” film. And Matthew Orton (“Moon Knight”) is working on a script that could be in the vein of a story following the characters Deathstroke and Bane, though Gunn and Safran didn’t officially confirm the project.
The good news is that Gunn still has the longview in sight, saying that he’s mapped out a six-year plan that would culminate in a “Avengers” style team-up film.
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