In a video and press release, newly appointed DC Studios chairmen and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled five movies and five HBO Max series that’ll mark the start of an interconnected DC film and TV universe. The slate consists of:
– Creature Commandos: A seven-part, animated series featuring characters like Rick Flag Sr., Nina Mazursky. Doctor Phosphorus, Eric Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein (who’s described as the lead), G.I. Robot, and Weasel. Gunn stated that he plans to truly integrate animated and live-action projects, with actors cast in voiceover roles reprising their roles in live-action and vice versa (especially the actor who’s cast as Flag Sr.)
– Waller: A live-action series starring Viola Davis as Amanda Waller following the events of Peacemaker, written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol). Safran clarified the show will not replace Peacemaker, stating it takes place between seasons one and two.
– Superman: Legacy: Written by Gunn, this reboot of the Superman films will not be an origin story, but take place during Clark Kent’s early years, and see him trying to balance “his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.” It will be released on July 11, 2025.
– Lanterns: A new take on the show that’s been in protracted development under Greg Berlanti, this series will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart in a True Detective-style mystery, where they uncover an ancient evil on Earth.
– The Authority: A movie based on Jim Lee, Brandon Choi, and Scott Clark’s morally ambiguous group of superheroes (originally known as StormWatch at Lee’s WildStorm imprint.) Gunn said, “The Authority’s a very different kind of superhero story. They are basically good-intentioned, but they think that the world is completely broken and the only way to fix it is to take things into their own hands, whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments — basically, whatever they want to do to make the world better.”
– Paradise Lost: A prequel series set on Themyscira/Paradise Island before Wonder Woman’s birth, described by Gunn and Safran as a Game of Thrones-style exploration “of how this society of women came about. What does it mean? What are their politics like? What are their rules? Who’s in charge? What are the games that they play with each other to get to the top?”
– The Brave and the Bold: A movie starring an older Batman and Robin (Damian Wayne), heavily inspired by the Grant Morrison “Batman” run that introduced the fourth main Boy Wonder. Safran adds, “This is going to feature other members of the extended Bat-Family. Just because we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.”
– Booster Gold: A TV show starring Dan Jurgens’s time-traveling creation from the future, who seeks to become a hero in the present day. Gunn commented he sees it as “basically the story of a superhero’s imposter syndrome.”
– Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: A movie based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s comic. Gunn said viewers can expect a “much harsher and more f*cked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far,” and revealed King has been a strong presence in the new DCU’s writers’ room, alongside Christal Henry, Drew Goddard, Christina Hodson (The Flash, Birds of Prey), and Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight).
– Swamp Thing: A horror movie starring Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson’s iconic creation. Safran used the project to discuss how “it’s important to point out that in these stories, although they’re interconnected, they’re not all tonally the same. Each set of filmmakers bring their own aesthetic to these films, and the fun is seeing how these tonally different works mash up in the future.” He adds, “This is a film that will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing.”
The pair confirmed projects like Matt Reeves’s The Batman sequel (tentatively titled The Batman – Part II, and now set for October 3, 2025) will continue to exist in their own worlds. Safran says, “The DCU’s a multiverse, but we’re going to be focusing on one universe from that multiverse. And if something isn’t DCU, we’re going to make that very clear. So, strictly adult fare like Todd Phillips’s Joker, or kids animation like Teen Titans Go!, we’re going to make it very clear that those are DC ‘Elseworlds,’ just the same way that they do it in the comic books.”
Continued belowTHR has more from the pair, especially about this year’s DC movies, Shazam! Fury of the Gods (out March 17), The Flash (June 16), Blue Beetle (August 18), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25). Gunn described The Flash as “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made,” and said the lead actors in those films could continue playing their roles in the new universe.
Safran said Warner Bros. executives are hoping for the best with Flash star Ezra Miller’s mental health treatment. “Ezra is completely committed to their recovery,” he said. “We are fully supportive of that journey they are on right now. When the time is right, when they are ready to have that discussion, we will all figure out what the best path forward. But right now, they are completely focused on their recovery. And in our conversation with them, in the last couple of months, it feels like they are making enormous progress.”
For even more from Gunn and Safran, including the potential inclusion of video games and the animated DTV movies in the new DC Universe, head to DC.com. One thing’s clear from the interview though: much of the pair’s plans are still up in the air, with Gunn describing the possibility of Jason Momoa ditching Aquaman for Lobo as something “we’ll figure it out after Aquaman 2.”
