DCU Movie Slate Announced by James Gunn Includes Some Surprises
Five DCU movies are included in the initial slate. Gunn and Safran are centering on Superman and the Bat Family, with some wild cards thrown in.
After talking about this year’s releases – Shazam, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom – the co-CEO described the new slate. They are planning a connected DCU that will tie together the movies, TV, animation, and games. This plan also allows projects like Matt Reeves’ Batverse, Teen Titans Go, and Joker: Foile a Duex (and I’d think the Harley animated series, though it wasn’t mentioned by name) to exist under the “DC Elseworlds” label – they will be stand-alone and won’t have to tie in.
Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023
Superman: Legacy – July 11, 2025
The movie will mark the new DCU and is the only one with a release date. Gunn is writing the project, which will not be an origin story but will feature a younger Clark. Expect a Superman that’s more like Christopher Reeve’s version that’s about hope.
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
Art by Frank Quitely via DC
The Authority
Released under DC’s Wildstorm imprint in the late 1990s, The Authority focuses on a group of superheroes that aim to save the world by any means possible. It was marketed as the ‘anti-Justice League’ when it was introduced. Its impact can be seen in books like The Boys and Invincible.
“It isn’t just a story of heroes and villains, and not every movie and TV show is going to be about good guy versus bad guy. There are people that are very questionable, like the Authority, who basically believe that you can’t fix the world in an easy manner, and they take things into their own hands.”
Art by Bryan Hitch via DC
I’m surprised at this choice, given that the comic’s creator, Warren Ellis, has been shunned from the industry because of multiple accusations of sexual coercion, manipulation, and emotional abuse. His last project was Netflix’s Castlevania in 2021, which he was forced to leave after the allegations became public. I know Millar, Morrison, Abnett, and others worked on it later – it’s just going to be hard to ignore the book’s creator when they get to marketing.
The Brave and the Bold
Just because Matt Reeves isn’t included doesn’t mean there will not be a Batman in this universe. Eventually, there will be an entire Bat Family. The Brave and the Bold is a storyline by Grant Morrison that introduces Damian Wayne as Robin (the first time Robin has been in live-action since 1997). Damian is Bruce Wayne’s biological son, which is not known to Wayne for the first ten years of Damian’s life. It’s a father-son story. I promise.
Gunn has described Damian as the writers room’s “favorite Robin… a little son of a bitch… assassin… murderer.” Yeah, that’s about right.
Art by Frank Quitely via DC
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Based on Tom King’s run from 2021 and 2022. We might get Krypto.
“We see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he’s an infant… versus Supergirl, who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton. [She] watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life.”
via DC
Swamp Thing
Gunn is describing this as an exploration of the dark origins of the character. It will be a horror movie. Though the tone and nature of this movie will be different, Swamp Thing will interact with the rest of the DCU. Think Groot and Rocket in GotG.
The DC Universe show was fantastic but was canceled when the service was rolled into HBOMax. I hope they take some cues from it. If you haven’t seen it, the entire first season is available on VOD for $2 via Amazon, Apple, and Google Play.
Art by Bernie Wrightson via DC
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