Stories about Batman and his assassin son, a new Superman tale and Swamp Thing are set to hit the big screen as part of an ambitious 10-year plan to reinvigorate DC Studios under new owner Warner Bros Discovery. – Photos: DC Comics
DC Comics is entering a new era in terms of its movie output. Under the helm of co-chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios have unveiled an ambitious slate of 10 new film and TV projects that will tell a single unifying story across the next right to ten years.
DC owners Warner Bros Discovery will be hoping that Gunn and Safran’s plan will be able to emulate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), or at least provide a coherent cinematic universe for its stable of iconic characters to reside in.
During the unveiling of the new DC lineup last week, Gunn admitted that "the history of DC is pretty messed up”.
"We're going to promise that everything from our first project forward is going to be unified,” he said, adding that this year's The Flash, starring Ezra Miller, will be the film that 'resets' the entire DC universe.
The first phase of this revamp has been coined "Gods and Monsters", and includes new movies for Superman, Batman and Swamp Thing, as well as big screen debuts for no-holds-barred superteam The Authority and Supergirl.
There will also be TV series that revolve around Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, the Green Lanterns, and time-travelling hero Booster Gold, among others.
However, there will also be room for movies and shows that are not part of this central DC universe, which will be grouped under the ‘DC Elseworlds’ umbrella
These will include the likes of Joker: Folie a Deux, the sequel to 2019's Joker (which won its star Joaquin Phoenix a Best Actor Oscar); and the sequel to 2022’s The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, slated for release in 2025.
Still, it’s Gunn and Safran’s main cinematic universe that will be under pressure to deliver, especially after the previous attempt by Zack Snyder failed to truly take off despite massive fan support.
So, here’s a look at the ten projects that have been announced so far. We’ve added the official description by DC Studios, and also some thoughts about how excited we are about each project.
Will Superman: Legacy be a direct adaptation of All-Star Superman or inspired by it? We're excited for the movie either way. – Photos: DC ComicsOfficial brief: Written by James Gunn, the film will hit theatres on July 11, 2025 and focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.
How excited are we?
Any Superman movie will always get us excited, no matter what.
But what got us REALLY excited about this is that the official announcement for this movie was accompanied by an image from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s stellar All-Star Superman series, which is considered one of THE best Superman stories ever told.
The comic sees a dying Superman undergoing ‘Twelve Labours” in order to make peace with the world before his death. In other words, leaving behind a ‘legacy’ that he can be proud of.
We’re not sure if Gunn will be adapting the comic per se, but if he is using it as an inspiration, then it can only be a good thing.
Official brief: DC's WildStorm characters will join the DC Universe as members of The Authority take matters into their own hands to do what they believe is right.
How excited are we?
Created in 1999 by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, The Authority is a superhero team that has a reputation for getting the job done, by ANY means necessary. Which means lots of violent superhero action and probably enough naughty language to make Captain America blush.
The Authority is a no-holds barred superhero team that promise lots of action and violence.
The success of ultra-violent and R-rated superhero properties like Deadpool, Gunn’s very own The Suicide Squad, and TV series The Boys has proven that there is a market for these sorts of movies, and the fact that this is an Ellis creation makes this doubly exciting for us.
The introduction of Damian Wayne could turn The Brave And The Bold into a very different sort of Batman movie.The Brave And The BoldOfficial brief: The DCU will introduce its Batman and Robin in this unusual father-son story, inspired by Grant Morrison's comics.
How excited are we?
Robin returns to the big screen! And it’s Damian Wayne too!
Morrison’s run on the Batman comic in 2006 saw him introduce Damian to the DC world, and he has been arguably the best Robin since then, even more than the original, Dick Grayson, if you ask me.
Official brief: This science fiction adventure will be based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely's amazing, award-winning recent comics stories and present a Supergirl that viewers are not used to seeing.
Could Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow bring the Kara out of Kal-El's shadow?How excited are we?
King’s 2022 series was nominated the Best Limited Series Eisner award, and has the potential to be a truly out-there science fiction story that could finally bring Supergirl out of her famous cousin’s shadow once and for all. Plus Krypto will be along for the ride!
Official brief: The film will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing.
How excited are we?
We’re happy to see Swampy finally get another shot at the big-screen, but we also see this as DC Studio’s gateway to the more supernatural side of its portfolio. Here’s hoping Swamp Thing will also pave the way for characters like Animal Man, Constantine and Zatanna to show up as well!
Is Gunn setting Waller up to be DC's answer to Nick Fury?Official brief: Starring Viola Davis, this series features Team Peacemaker and will be written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural).
How excited are we?
They got us with two words – Team Peacemaker. Oh yes. We love peace.
Official brief: This seven-episode animated show, written by James Gunn, shows Amanda Waller creating a black-ops team out of monstrous prisoners.
How excited are we?
How many ‘black-ops teams’ does Waller have? Is Gunn setting her up to be DC’s answer to Nick Fury? Being an animated series, this could be fun to watch, and could be a way for Gunn to get some of DC’s more obscure characters on the radar.
Official brief: In this live-action series, Booster Gold uses basic technology from the future to pretend to be a superhero in the present day.
How excited are we?
To be honest, we’re not sure Booster Gold deserves a show all for himself. The time-travelling thing has already been done with Legends Of Tomorrow, and Booster Gold himself isn’t exactly an A-lister as well. But if they turn the focus on his friendship with Blue Beetle (The Ted Kord one), then this could have the potential for a time-hopping buddy comedy.
Please let the Booster Gold be a time-travelling comedy with Blue Beetle in it as well.
Official brief: This enormous TV event series follows intergalactic cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they uncover a dark mystery.
How excited are we?
I’ve always thought the Green Lanterns are too big a group to be confined to a single movie, so turning this into a TV series seems like a smart movie. With the focus on two of the most popular Lanterns and a rumoured detective-style story, this has the potential to go far, and be as ‘enormous’ as they claim it will be.
Could this be a crime procedural, set in space? That will truly light our darkest nights.
Official brief: Set in Themyscira, home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman, this TV drama focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women.
How excited are we?
It’s been billed as a Game Of Thrones-styled drama set on Wonder Woman’s birthplace. Whether it’ll actually work WITHOUT Wonder Woman there is another matter, but I for one am intrigued to see how it will turn out.
