Credit: DC StudiosJames Gunn, the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, recently addressed viral rumors about the future of his rebooted DCU. And based on his remarks, it sounds like bad news for those looking forward to this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.
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As Warner Bros. looks to give its resident superhero studio a fresh new coat of paint, James Gunn, best known for directing Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and The Suicide Squad (2021), and Peter Safran, a longtime producer, are leading the charge with a new wave of DC movies and TV shows under the banner “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.”
With expectations undoubtedly high for this next era of DC content, Gunn and Safran appear to be full-steam ahead on releasing new projects, including the Creature Commandos animated series and the upcoming SUPERMAN (2025), which has officially begun filming in Atlanta.
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Until these new DCU releases start to roll out, however, Gunn recently took to Threads to offer a less-than-hopeful update about DC’s presence at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con.
When asked by a fan if he was looking forward to the annual event, the filmmaker simply responded with, “I will be shooting,” which comes just weeks after he shut down programming rumors that claimed he would be leading a DC Studios panel in Hall H.
While Gunn’s statement doesn’t mean that DC Studios won’t have a presence at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con by any means, it does resurrect fears that this year’s event will follow in the footsteps of 2023’s, which saw big players including Marvel, Netflix, HBO, and DC deciding to skip.
Warner Bros. certainly has plenty of other properties to showcase at the July convention if DC Studios decides to duck out. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), which stars Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder, is coming out in September, with Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) following shortly after—all this to say that Warner Bros. doesn’t exactly need DC Studios to attend the event.
Still, it’s important to note that San Diego Comic-Con and some sort of online presentation aren’t Gunn and Safran’s only options for a DCU slate update, so Warner Bros. may have something else planned. But for now, it sounds like Gunn has his sights firmly set on directing his upcoming Superman flick.
SUPERMAN, which stars David Corensweet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, is scheduled to be released theatrically on July 11, 2025, and will follow “the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing.”
San Diego Comic-Con 2024 could be a great chance for DC Studios to debut early footage and would indeed generate more hype for the film. A full-length trailer, on the other hand, is likely still pretty far away, though the event could be an opportune time for Gunn and Co. to highlight Creature Commandos, which will be released on the streaming service Max in late 2024.
Given that a full line-up has yet to be announced for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, there are perhaps more questions than answers regarding DC Studios’ presence — or lack thereof, if they decide to pass on the event for the second year in a row.
Only time will tell, but one thing’s for certain: James Gunn’s star power will surely be missed if DC Studios decides to unveil their DCU slate in Hall H.
Are you hopeful for the future of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU? Let us know in the comments below!