DC Studios co-head James Gunn is making the case clear for the studio’s approach to the DC Universe: namely, that plans for some projects – even ones that have already been announced – may get revised or canceled altogether. In a new post on Threads, Gunn wanted to clarify a report on some of his comments about the DC Universe slate. When one outlet posted a report titled “James Gunn Assures Every Announced DCU Project Is Still Coming Despite Lack of Updates“, Gunn responded by “clarifying” some keywords in that title:
“Just to clarify, I said everything we originally announced was still in development not that it’s still coming,” Gunn wrote in his post, adding, “That all depends on the scripts! We’ll never put a half-assed script in production just because it was announced.”
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The current slate of DC Studios projects that are actively in development or production (with firm release date windows) includes:
For anyone who was around for the initial launch of the DC Studios imprint and the big reveal of its first slate, that list above is probably looking pretty sparse. Some of that is easily explained: we know that the Amanda Waller TV series has a creative team (showrunners/writers Christal Henry and Jeremy Carver), but won’t be released until after the events of Peacemaker Season 2 are revealed; that’s easily a case where plans could shift and change, based on any number of factors (Viola Davis’s availability, fan interest, Peacemaker S2’s performance, etc.). The same can be said of the Swamp Thing movie being developed by James Mangold: Mangold has a DC movie and a Star Wars movie on his plate, with both projects on unclear timelines of development.
Less certain are films like The Authority (which is rumored to be getting a speedy production as a followup to Superman (2025) – or the Batman reboot The Brave and the Bold (which has The Flash director Andy Muschietti attached, but little else). A Teen Titans movie has also been announced; the Wonder Woman prequel Paradise Lost is still in development, HBO’s Lanterns TV series is speeding down the pipeline – but who knows where the Booster Gold TV series is?
In terms of generating massive hype, acclaim, ratings, and box office returns, some of these DCU projects (Superman, Batman, Green Lanterns) will be more crucial to the franchise than others (Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, Swamp Thing, Waller). The fact that priorities and focuses could shift or change with time and (of course) the response to various pieces of content. The fact that Gunn and Peter Safran are already staying somewhat limber, ready to pivot, means they are wisely benefitting from realities of the industry that Marvel Studios had to learn the hard way (see: Phases 2 and 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
The DCU kicks off with Creature Commandos streaming on Max starting on December 5th.
