It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s the DCU Slate!

James Gunn has announced a portion of content to come for the DC Cinematic Universe

DC Comics is a fixture of American, global pop-culture and it is here to stay. James Gunn and Peter Safran, tasked with leading the newly formed DC Studios, revealed plans for their new DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) with Gunn taking a creative leadership role and Safran focused on the finances and production of said content. The formation and execution of a plan, with respect to a largely interconnected cinematic universe, is no easy undertaking. Buckle up, there is a lot of information to unpack!

On January 31, 2023, James Gunn revealed a portion of the DCU’s first wave of content. The DCU’s storytelling will be broken into “Chapters,” with Chapter One being dubbed as “Gods and Monsters.” The film and television projects can be regarded as pages within the chapter. “Gods and Monsters” will consist of ten projects, equally divided amongst film and television (this amount is subject to change). Gunn has made his and other intentions clear, making a cohesive cinematic universe that pays respect to the DC Comics source material.

Now, let us get into the content expected at this time for Chapter One of the DCU. This list will include the five films and five television shows announced by James Gunn. Note, most of the content revealed does not have release dates.

Films:

• Superman: Legacy (July 11, 2025): this film will explore Clark Kent’s Kryptonian heritage and his adoption of the human race.

• The Authority (TBA): this will be a new take on superhero storytelling and will showcase a team known as “The Authority” and their brutal take on justice.

• The Brave and the Bold (TBA): “Batfamily” fans rejoice! Audiences will finally be able to see Batman and his son Damian Wayne as Robin, along with other classic Batman allies taking on the mean streets of Gotham City.

• Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (TBA): Supergirl did not have the loving parents and warm homelife to guide her. Instead, she was stuck on a piece of her home planet Krypton that drifted away after it blew up. It will be a very gritty take on Supergirl.

• Swamp Thing (TBA): You definitely do not want to mess with his swamp! It will explore the horrific origins of the titular character, Swamp Thing.

Television:

• Creature Commandos (TBA): This will be an animated series, it will kick off the television side of the DCU and will be on the streaming service HBOMAX. Details about the story were not revealed, however, James Gunn made clear that actors voicing these characters will portray them in live action. That will be the case for every animated character and those who voice them.

• Waller (TBA): Reprising her role as Amanda Waller, Viola Davis, and characters from the Peacemaker series will be in the show. It will take place in between seasons one and two of Peacemaker.

• Lanterns (TBA): Space Cops! Members of the Green Lantern Corp, Jon Stewart and Hal Jordan, will be on patrol of Precinct; Earth as they corral an evil deep within the planet they are sworn to protect.

• Paradise Lost (TBA): If you have seen, and enjoyed, Game of Thrones you may indeed be in for a treat, as this will be a prequel series focused on the origins of Wonder Woman’s birthplace Paradise Island (Themyscira).

• Booster Gold: (TBA): Imposter Syndrome? Well, this series will be the living definition of it. Michael Jon Carter (Booster Gold), who nobody really likes, uses futuristic tech to time travel into the past (which is our present) and with his advanced technology, finds himself in a position to be loved by the people of today.

Creating the plans for a major cinematic universe is daunting in and of itself, let alone actually bringing said plans to life. After reviewing the projects in the works for the DCU, it is safe to say that there is a lot of excitement for the future. It is the wish of many that these productions find their footing and grow upon DC Comics’ pop-culture lore.

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Dale News Online Publication: February 2023

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