James Gunn is dishing on all of the upcoming plans for the DC Universe.
Gunn, 56, and Peter Safran, 57, formally began working the newly created DC Studios inside Warner Bros. Discovery three months in the past, and now the co-CEOS have introduced the primary titles to come back out of the studio.
Gunn defined that the titles will exist in a single universe and one story, and if one thing is exterior of that story — akin to Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” Todd Phillips’ “Joker” or “Teen Titans Go!” — then it could be explicitly labeled as DC Elseworlds.
“As lots of you recognize, DC has been disconnected in movie and tv for a very long time,” Gunn defined in a video posted to Twitter. “It’s one among our jobs to come back in and be sure that DCU is related in movie, tv, gaming and animation. That the characters are constant, performed by the identical actors, and it really works inside one story.”
He revealed that 4 initiatives will come out over the subsequent yr, kicking off with “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” which he defined has at all times been in a part of his personal space of the DCU however connects very properly and strikes instantly into “The Flash.”
He stated that “The Flash,” starring embattled actor Ezra Miller, resets your entire DCU and is “a incredible film that I actually love.”
“The Flash” strikes into “Blue Beetle” — a “incredible movie” a few Mexican teenager within the DC Universe — which then goes into “Aquaman 2.”
“Aquaman 2” — a ok a “Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom,” starring Jason Momoa — leads into the subsequent initiatives, which contain an eight- to 10-year plan of what DC Studios will probably be that Gunn, Safran and a gaggle of writers have began to map out.
The primary chapter known as “Gods and Monsters,” and Gunn shared particulars on the slate of initiatives.
‘Creature Commandos’ (TV)
A part of the primary chapter contains “Creature Commandos” — an animated collection written by Gunn for HBO Max.
“One thing we’re gonna try this’s just a little bit completely different at DC is we’re going to have characters transfer into animation, out of animation, often having the identical actor play their voice as who performs them in live-action,” Gunn stated.
The present is already in manufacturing.
‘Waller’ (TV)
The subsequent mission is “Waller,” which is the story of Amanda Waller, the “Suicide Squad” honcho who will probably be performed by Viola Davis.
“Waller” will probably be a continuation of HBO Max’s “Peacemaker,” which had its Season 2 placed on maintain for the foreseeable future.
“It’s a incredible story that’s out of this world, and I can’t watch for individuals to see it,” Gunn shared.
‘Superman: Legacy’ (film)
Gunn shared “an enormous one” that marks “the true starting of the DCU”: “Superman: Legacy.”
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage together with his human upbringing,” Safran stated whereas assembly with the press on the Warner Bros. studio lot, according to Variety. “He’s the embodiment of fact, justice and the American means. He’s kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old school.”
Gunn shared that he’s presently in the midst of penning this one, and it tentatively will probably be launched in theaters on July 11, 2025.
‘Lanterns’ (TV)
An HBO tv collection known as “Lanterns” was subsequent up on the slate and is the story of a few Inexperienced Lanterns — Hal Jordan and John Stewart — who’re “area cops watching over Precinct Earth.”
Safran described the collection as “very a lot within the vein of ‘True Detective.’”
‘The Authority’ (film)
“The Authority” comes subsequent and is described as a “ardour mission” of Gunn’s, based mostly on the “Wildstorm” superhero characters, which have been launched in 1992 as their very own entity and finally folded into the principle comics universe.
“It isn’t only a story of heroes and villains, and never each film and TV present goes to be about good man versus dangerous man,” Gunn stated. “There are individuals which are very questionable, just like the Authority, who principally consider that you would be able to’t repair the world in a simple method, and so they take issues into their very own palms.”
“Superman: Legacy” will lead instantly into the movie, which is presently being written.
‘Paradise Misplaced’ (TV)
The tv collection “Paradise Misplaced” is the story of Paradise Island — the birthplace of Surprise Girl.
He described it as “Sport of Thrones” however with the inhabitants of Paradise Island.
“It’s actually concerning the political intrigue behind a society of all ladies,” Safran stated.
‘The Courageous and the Daring’ (film )
“The Courageous and the Daring” is the “introduction of DCU’s Batman” and is the story of the Caped Crusader and his organic son, Damian Wayne, and introduces “the Bat household.”
“Damian Wayne is my favourite Robin,” Gunn shared concerning the character, which relies on comics by Grant Morrison.
‘Booster Gold’ (TV)
Subsequent up is a TV collection known as “Booster Gold,” who is a well-liked “cult hero” and a “loser from the longer term” who makes use of future know-how to grow to be a superhero within the current day.
“It’s principally the superhero story of imposter syndrome,” Gunn defined.
‘Supergirl: Girl of Tomorrow’ (film)
Gunn additionally mentioned turning “Supergirl: Girl of Tomorrow,” based mostly on Tom King’s comics, right into a science-fiction movie.
“We see the distinction between Superman, who was despatched to Earth and raised by loving dad and mom from the time he’s an toddler, versus Supergirl, who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton, and watched everybody round her die and be killed in horrible methods for the primary 14 years of her life,” he shared.
‘Swamp Factor’ (film)
The final mission he shared was “Swamp Factor”: a darkish horror movie — “horrific,” based on Gunn — that facilities round Swamp Factor’s origin story.
Gunn defined that whereas that is exterior of the remainder of the DCU, it would nonetheless feed into the remainder of the tales.
“DC Studios is unprecedented,” Safran stated. “It’s a standalone manufacturing entity and studio. It’s the first time ever that every thing DC associated — movie, tv, live-action, animation, gaming — is all centralized below one inventive imaginative and prescient, that of James and myself.”
Gunn careworn in his social media video how “extremely necessary” the DC characters are to him.
“Storytelling is at all times king. That’s all that issues and I wish to be true to these tales,” he stated. “I wish to be true to you guys and actually offer you one thing that you just’ve by no means seen earlier than.”
It was careworn that the characters will probably be performed by the identical actors constantly, leaving the door open for Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Zachary Levi to proceed enjoying Surprise Girl, Aquaman, the Flash and Shazam, respectively — although Gunn reiterated that Henry Cavill is not going to return as Superman.
Nonetheless, the DC bosses neither confirmed nor denied Miller’s attainable return because the Flash.
Miller — who’s nonbinary and makes use of they/them pronouns — made headlines in 2022 stemming from assault and abuse allegations on high of different legal woes. They pleaded responsible earlier this month to a misdemeanor illegal trespass in a Vermont housebreaking case.
Again in August, Miller, 30, broke their silence in a press release supplied to Variety, saying they might search therapy for “advanced psychological well being points.”
“Having lately gone by a time of intense disaster, I now perceive that I’m struggling advanced psychological well being points and have begun ongoing therapy,” Miller stated within the assertion. “I wish to apologize to everybody that I’ve alarmed and upset with my previous habits. I’m dedicated to doing the mandatory work to get again to a wholesome, secure and productive stage in my life.”
Safran and Gunn expressed their help for Miller however left unstated whether or not they’d reprise the function.
“Ezra is totally dedicated to their restoration. We’re absolutely supportive of that journey that they’re on proper now,” Safran stated.
“When the time is correct, after they really feel they’re able to have the dialogue, we’ll all determine what one of the best ways ahead is,” he added. “However proper now, they’re fully centered on their restoration. And in our conversations with them during the last couple of months, it looks like they’re making huge progress.”
Levi, 42, additionally confronted backlash this week after sharing an anti-Pfizer tweet on Sunday, by which he wrote, “Hardcore agree,” in response to a tweet that learn: “Do you agree or not that Pfizer is an actual hazard to the world?”
Many individuals interpreted that as being anti-vaccine, which despatched the web right into a frenzy, as “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is ready for launch on March 17, 2023.
When Gunn was asked concerning the state of affairs, he replied: “Simply actual merely: Actors and filmmakers that I work with are going to say issues that I agree with and issues that I don’t agree with.
“And that’s going to occur. I don’t have a listing of issues that any person ought to say due to what I believe. And you recognize, I can’t be altering my plans on a regular basis as a result of an actor says one thing that I don’t agree with,” he added.
“By the identical token, if any person’s doing one thing morally reprehensible then that’s a distinct story. We’ve got to take all that stuff under consideration. It’s a stability. It’s fashionable world and it’s a distinct place.”