James Gunn Reveals The Entire Slate Of DC Universe Movies And TV Shows
James Gunn has announced the DC Universe's first 10 projects, beginning with 2025's Superman: Legacy.
James Gunn has revealed the entire first wave of DC Universe projects under his and Peter Safran’s new continuity. According to a report in Gizmodo, there are 10 confirmed upcoming projects, which are: Superman: Legacy, Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, The Authority, Paradise Lost, The Brave and the Bold, Booster Gold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Swamp Thing. All of these HBO Max and theatrical release films are part of an eight to 10 year shared storyline, which is reported to be divided into two chapters.
The first chapter of James Gunn’s new DC Universe is being referred to as “Gods and Monsters” and will supersede the previous continuity shared by DC films like Justice League and Man of Steel. In effect, this will hard reset the previous movies directed by Zack Snyder, James Wan, and Patty Jenkins, beginning with the first project: Superman: Legacy, which is scheduled for theatrical release on June 11, 2025. Presumably, this will be the unknown replacement (allegedly younger) Superman who is taking over for Henry Cavill, who was recently announced as not returning to the role.
The “Gods and Monsters” chapter of James Gunn’s DC Universe is a mixture of live-action and animated serialized releases on HBO Max and theatrical releases. Notably, the 10 announced projects do not include any feature films that are to be released on HBO Max; reportedly, new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is adamantly against the streaming service releasing original DCU movies, wanting them to be prestige “event” movies.
Of the announced projects, Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold are going to be HBO shows, with Creature Commandos being the sole animated show. The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, The Authority, and the aforementioned Superman: Legacy will all be live-action theatrical releases, so will likely be the anchor narrative films with the HBO shows acting to connect stories.
While James Gunn’s reboot of the DC Universe with Superman is no surprise, some of the announced projects are relatively obscure. For example, Creature Commandos (which has already been written as a seven-part series by James Gunn) is a little-known group of WWII soldiers that includes Rick Flagg Sr., Frankenstein, and Suicide Squad’s Weasel. Another, The Authority is a super-group akin to the Justice League that originated in the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics (and has since been absorbed in regular current continuity) and is known for its more graphic, brutal violence and sexuality.
Below, you can see James Gunn talking about the upcoming DC slate.
Other projects announced by James Gunn for the DC Universe have more well-known source material but seem to have some twists. For example, Paradise Lost is a Wonder Woman-themed HBO series, but about the violent formation of Themyscira rather than its current state. Another, The Brave and the Bold, is about the partnership of Batman and Robin, but introduces Damian Wayne, the violent, assassin-trained biological son of the Dark Knight rather than Dick Grayson.
No doubt, there will be more details that emerge on these projects in the upcoming days and weeks and we will update you as they come.
