DC Studios announce the first projects for the new “DCU”
Since being appointed as heads of the newly-created DC Studios last autumn, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been promising a fresh approach to DC Comics’ (so far) fractured storytelling across movies and TV.
Now we have the first clear idea of what the new “DC Universe” is going to look like, with the announcement of what’s planned for “Chapter One – Gods and Monsters” of the DCU.
But first, we have the final phase of the current DC Extended Universe:
Since the creation of DC Studios, one of the first questions people asked was whether this would result in a complete reboot of the current DCEU. It quickly became apparent that many fan-favourites from the DCEU would not be returning, with the announcement that Henry Cavill will not be back as Superman despite his cameo in Black Adam, and that Wonder Woman 3 appears to, at the very least, be on indefinite hold. However, it now seems that the reboot of the DCEU may be a little softer than first imagined...
The four DCEU films that had been filmed (but not released) prior to the creation of DC Studios are Shazam! Fury of the Gods (due out next month), The Flash (due in June), Blue Beetle (a lesser-known film that was originally planned as an HBO Max streaming movie, but which is currently due a cinematic release in August), and Aquaman & The Lost Kingdom (due out in December). All of these will still be released, but now they’ve been confirmed to be the final phase of the existing DCEU.
What’s interesting is that it now appears that the soft-reboot of the DCEU into the DCU is going to be explained “in universe” as being caused by the events that take place in The Flash, which is going to be an adaption of the universe-changing, multiversal Flashpoint storyline from the comics. This means that the DCU will effectively be a continuation of the DCEU, albeit presumably on a different timeline, which in turn potentially leaves the door open for James Gunn and Peter Safran to pick and choose who they want to carry over from the DCEU into the new DCU.
The introduction to “Chapter One – Gods and Monsters” of the DCU:
With the release of the Aquaman sequel in December 2023 marking the end of the DCEU, 2024 will see the start of the DCU with two introductory TV projects:
Creature Commandos will be an animated ensemble show written by James Gunn and featuring a lesser-known team of characters who are intended to crossover into live action projects as well. Given how good James Gunn is with material of this nature (e.g. Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker), this should get the DCU off to an entertaining start.
Waller – speaking of The Suicide Squad, the next project will then see Viola Davis return to play Amanda Waller, proving that at least some actors from the DCEU will be reprising their characters in the new DCU.
The ‘official’ start of the DCU:
However, the first two TV projects will just be a warm up to the main event, which is the ‘official’ launch of the new DCU with a brand-new Superman movie.
Superman: Legacy will be written by James Gunn (who is rumoured to also be directing), and is the first major DCU project to have an official release date: 11 July 2025. This movie will see a new, younger (and as yet uncast) Superman attempting to balance his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, although it won’t be a retelling of his actual origin story.
After that, the DCU returns to TV with Lanterns, an Earth-set show featuring (at least) the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart, and which is being described as a mystery show in the same vein as True Detective...
Then we’re back to the movies for The Authority, based on a lesser-known superhero team who often dealt with more mature storylines.
Paradise Lost will then follow on TV, with the show telling a Game of Thrones-style tale focusing on the Amazons on the island of Themyscira. It remains to be seen whether Gal Gadot or any of the other actors from the Wonder Woman movies will be reprising their roles.
After that we will be introduced to the DCU’s brand-new cinematic Batman in Batman: The Brave & The Bold. That’s not to say that Robert Pattinson won’t be back as Batman elsewhere (more on that below), but he won’t be part of the DCU – instead, the DCU will introduce a new Bruce Wayne/Batman, and also feature the cinematic debut of his son (and future Robin), Damien Wayne. This movie is also rumoured to act as an introduction to the wider ‘Bat-family’ from the comics.
Back on TV, next up will be Booster Gold, which is another premise that sounds right up James Gunn’s alley, as it features a loser from the future who travels back to our present and uses future tech to pass himself off as a superhero, in what Gunn described as imposter syndrome in superhero form.
The final two projects for Chapter One of the DCU are both movies. First up is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which will be a big-scale sci-fi film exploring Kara Zor-El's very different backstory from Clark Kent’s, having been raised on a surviving chunk of Krypton following the planet’s destruction, rather than a quiet farm-town in rural Kansas. Finally, we have Swamp Thing, which is going to be a horror-infused origin story for the character.
“Elseworlds” - the official home for non-DCU stories:
Fans of last year’s excellent The Batman will be relieved to hear that not only will Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson be back for The Batman – Part II, but that it’s also the only other major project with an official release date: 3 October 2025.
The Batman – Part II will be part of the new “Elseworlds” brand, which is where DC Studios will be producing their projects that are not part of the main DCU. This will include Todd Phillips’ sequel to Joker, and the animated comedy TV show Teen Titans Go! James Gunn confirmed that it would take something special for DC Studios to agree to tell a story outside of the main continuity under the “Elseworlds” brand, so expect these projects to be few and far between.
