The DC Extended Universe is dead (sort of)! Long live the new DC Universe (and standalone DC Elseworlds projects)!
Yes, some three months on from the surprise news that Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn would be teaming with Aquaman producer Peter Safran to head up the newly-revamped DC Studios, the duo have now officially unveiled the first slate of projects set to launch the new (and hopefully improved?) DC Universe.
Before we get to the news stuff, DC Studios will sweep away the last remnants of the old regime throughout 2023 with the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17th), The Flash (June 16th), Blue Beetle (August 18th) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25th), with Gunn confirming that there will not be a total reboot at this point and that “there is nothing that prohibits” all four leads of those movies, Zachary Levi, Ezra Miller, Xolo Maridueña and Jason Momoa, from continuing in their roles in this new-look DCU (so now Lobo for Momoa, at least not yet).
In addition to those existing DCEU releases, Gunn and Safan’s plan will also incorporate standalone projects under a ‘DC Elseworlds’ banner, which will include Joker: Folie à Deux and the now-titled The Batman Part II (dated for October 3rd 2025). Also falling under the Elseworlds banner is the long-running Cartoon Network series Teen Titans Go!, while Ta-Hehisi Coates’ black Superman project also remains in development on the feature film side.
That now leads to the new, fully-interconnected DC Universe spanning film, TV and animation – which Gunn stressed is “not the Gunnverse”, and will launch with ‘Chapter 1 – Gods and Monsters’, consisting of the following ten projects with more TBA.
Creature Commandos – A seven-episode animated series based upon the monstrous team of heroes, which will include the character of Weasel from The Suicide Squad along with Rick Flagg Sr. Roles are yet to be cast, but Gunn is looking for actors who can portray the characters both in animation and live action.
Waller – Viola Davis will reprise the role of Amanda Waller for a spinoff of Gunn’s HBO Max series Peacemaker, which is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol).
Superman: Legacy – Described by Safran as “really the start of the DCU” and “not an origin story”, the Superman reboot featuring a younger, less-Henry Cavill-looking Supes is being written by James Gunn for release on July 11th 2025.
Lanterns – Replacing Greg Berlanti’s long-planned Green Lantern series which had cast Fiunn Witrrock and Jeremy Irvine, the live-action Lanterns is described by Safran as a “terrestrial” based series featuring “two of our favorite Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, in a True Detective-type mystery and it plays a really big role leading into the main story that we’re telling across our film and television.
The Authority – A feature film based on Warrner Ellis and Bryan Hitch’s Wildstorm comic book, with Gunn stating: “One of the things of the DCU is that it’s not just a story of heroes and villains,” said Gunn. “Not every film and TV show is going to be about good guy vs. bad guy, giant things from the sky comes and good guy wins. There are white hats, black hats and grey hats.”
Paradise Lost – A Game of Thrones-style HBO Max drama series which will take place on the all-female island of Themiscyra prior to the events of the Wonder Woman movies and explore “the political intrigue behind a society of all women.”
The Brave and the Bold – Based on Grant Morrison’s acclaimed Batman run that introduced Damian Wayne, the movie will feature a new, non-R-Patz Bats, with Gunn saying: “This is the introduction of the DCU Batman. Of Bruce Wayne and also introduces our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a bitch.”
Booster Gold – An HBO Max series which Safran describes as “about a loser from the future who uses basic future technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero.”
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – A feature film based on Tom King’s Supergirl comic series, it is undecided yet whether the movie will feature the return of Sasha Calle, who plays Supergirl in The Flash. As Gunn says, it will however focus on “the difference between Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by loving parents from the time he was an infant vs. Supergirl who was raised on a rock chip off of Krypton and watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life.”
Swamp Thing – A horror movie which will close out this opening chapter of the DC Universe, the film will explore “the dark origins” of the cult character.
And so, there you have it, DC Universe – Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Be sure to check out EJ Moreno’s reaction to all the news in the video below, and head on over to the YouTube comments or our social channels @FlickeringMyth to let us know what you make of this initial slate of projects…
