Credit: DC ComicsDC has a lot of projects recently announced, and it might be hard to understand what to really expect from Gunn’s new direction with the franchise.
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All you need to know before diving into each project is that DC studios isn’t going to continue the story that Zack Snyder and other directors have created. Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman aren’t returning. Fans of those stories will have to be ready for a brand new look at those characters based on different comic runs.
Ezra Miller’s The Flash (2023) will also serve as a reboot for the franchise, as it will start the franchise from scratch. This means that previous movies aren’t directly connected unless confirmed otherwise. Gunn did clarify that existing actors such as Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot can reprise their roles if they have any interest doing so. The reboots means that most things will be different, but not everything is changing.
How will DC movies in 2023 fit into the DCU?
This is a harder question to answer as DC has made it very clear for some movies and left other ones in the grey area. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) is a loosely connected story with Zachary Levi playing Shazam and doesn’t play a huge role in changing the DC Universe so the movie won’t really affect the reboot. The Flash debuts next and this movie will actually reset the universe meaning that everything after it will kinda be in the DCU.
Blue Beetle is next and James Gunn is excited for the movie, but didn’t clarify if the movie will be the first movie of the DCU or not. The same goes for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as the movie will do some big things with the DC Universe and set up events for what’s to come, but it’s unclear if the movie will be apart of the DCU.
What is DC Elseworlds?
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DC Elseworlds is the label used for DC projects that exist outside of the DCU. These projects are meant to be special and only exist because the idea is too good, but doesn’t fit in the current universe. Right now, Todd Phillips Joker sequel, The Batman Part 2, and Ta Nehisi Coates’s Black Superman will be getting this label. Any future animation or live-action can earn this label, but Gunn made it very clear that the quality for these project must be top-notch to be made in the first place.
Creature Commandos
This is the first new project that was announced for the DCU. It’s an animated series about monsters sent to fight nazis, but the series will be doing a modern take. One interesting detail is that the series, (written by Gunn) will have voice actors who will eventually play the live-action roles. This means that all animation projects from now on for DC will have a live-action actor as well to make things simpler for fans.
Waller
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Instead of Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn revealed that Amanda Waller will be getting her own series. As the ruthless, cutthroat leader of a government task force, Waller will be teaming up with John Cena’s Peacemaker and other allies for the series. The show will be written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver, the creator of the recently cancelled Doom Patrol series.
Superman: Legacy
At long last, Superman will be getting his own movie again! This movie is officially the main kickoff for the DCU as the big movie will feature a younger Clark Kent/Superman. James Gunn is currently writing and is rumored to direct the movie. The Man of Steel will be around 25 years old. Peter Safran describes what the Superman movie will focus on:
“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 that kindness is old-fashioned.”
Superman: Legacy will tentatively release on July 11, 2025.
Lanterns
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Greg Berlanti’s HBO Green Lantern series has been scrapped. Instead, fans will get a series with both Hal Jordan and John Stewart uncovering a mystery as space cops. This series will tie into the bigger narrative and is influenced by True Detective with a terrestial focus. Fans can expect to explore the cosmos with the Green Lanterns and hopefully see less CGI heavy suits this time around.
The Authority
This movie will focus on a very violent team of characters that will go to extreme methods to save the world. This group is an example that the DCU won’t have stories full of good and bad guys. Some characters are in the middle, and others like Superman, clearly have their role in the world.
Gunn considers this movie to be a passion project for himself and his excitement for the obscure group could be a very good sign for fans unsure about the project. Gunn has a knack for making the general audience fall in love with lesser-known characters.
Paradise Lost
Themyscira meets Games of Thrones with this new series. The duo confirm that the series will take inspiration from the HBO drama series as it will serve as a prequel to the Wonder Woman movies exploring the political intrigue and scheming between different characters. There is no confirmation that Gal Gadot will be in the series or is still Diana Prince.
Brave and the Bold
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Fans will get to see a new Batman in the DCU and Gunn explains that they have a new direction planned for the iconic character. While fans have grown used to seeing Batman fight crime in Gotham City without help, the DCU will introduce the Bat-Family over time starting with Damian Wayne.
Following the classic run by Grant Morrsion, the movie will be a “strange father-and-son story” that will definitely set this iterations apart from the other versions of the Bruce Wayne/Batman. This Batman will be a little older than Superman and Ben Affleck won’t be reprising his role for the part.
Booster Gold
DC will be bringing in Booster Gold, a character from the future who traveled back in time with advance tech to be a super hero. His series will focus on how the character isn’t really a super hero and is “faking” it as a loser. Gunn calls the series, “imposter syndrome as superhero.”
Rumors have it that Chris Pratt might be in the talks to play Booster Gold which would be great casting if true.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
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Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow series will play a big inspiration for the movie. The movie will focus on the fact that Kara’s backstory is more tragic and messed up compared to Superman. She wasn’t raised by loving humans, but watched Krypton die on a nearby asteroid.
This story will be something else as Gunn reiterates that the DCU’s Supergirl will be more “hardcore” than fans might be used to:
“We will see the difference between Superman, who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant, versus Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth. She is much more hard-core and not the Supergirl we’re used to.”
Swamp Thing
To finish the first chapter, fans will get to see Swamp Thing in live-action. The movie will be the DCU’s first horror film and James Mangold has already thrown his hat in to direct. Little was shared about the project, but it will be fun to see the diversity of the different DCU projects over the next couple of years.
Finals Points About Chapter 1
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Gunn makes it very clear that the first chapter isn’t entirely his idea. He had a group of filmmakers and writers help. He listed The Martian writer Drew Goddard, The Flash writer Christina Hodson, Moon Knight head writer Jeremy Slater, Watchmen writer Christal Henry and famed comic book writer, Tom King.
Fans should expect a lot of great projects, but between now and 2025 there might not be a whole bunch of projects as 2024 might have Creature Commandos and Waller release, but no DCU films will happen until the following year. This reboot will slow things down, but that’s good because it means that nothing will be rushed which is what fans expect.
What are your thoughts on the DCU’s first chapter? Let us know what you think!