DC reboot kicks off with classic characters Superman and Batman leading the charge
Can DC finally get it right with a reboot of the DCU? DC Studios Co-Chairmen and CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran today announced plans for their first ten film and television projects under the new DC banner across film, television, and animation. Gunn and Safran are designing and implementing a long-term interconnected story for the franchise and characters, and today announced the beginning of “Chapter 1” focused on “Gods and Monsters” with five new films and five television series for HBO Max already in development. This reboot of DC Comics’ intellectual property occurs after fans endured years of disconnected, confusing, and polarizing projects
Peter Safran said:
“As we craft the plan for DC Studios, we are thrilled to share with fans the first ten stories they can expect from the unified DC Universe featuring some of our most well-known characters as well as the next generation of marquee characters. Chapter 1 tells cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit, all designed to minimize audience confusion and maximize audience engagement across platforms.”
Gunn is writing Superman: Legacy, the first film of the new slate, which will be released in theaters globally on July 11, 2025. The highly-anticipated sequel The Batman – Part II is slated for release on October 3, 2025, it was also announced by Gunn and Safran today.
Gunn added:
“Superman: Legacy is the true foundation of our creative vision for the DC Universe. Not only is Superman an iconic part of DC lore, but he is also a favorite character for comic book readers, viewers of earlier movies, and fans around the world. I can’t wait to introduce our version of Superman who audiences will be able to follow and get to know across films, movies, animation and gaming.”
DC already has a number of films coming out this year — including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash,” “Blue Beetle,” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”. They seem to have at least a minor connection to the new DCU. According to Gunn, “Flash” will “reset the entire DC universe.” Then “Blue Beetle” and the “Aquaman” sequel will lead into the new slate of projects.
Gunn said:
“These four movies are terrific. There’s no reason why any of the characters or the actors that play in those characters are not part of the DCU. There’s nothing that prohibits that from happening. We’ll incorporate characters from the past, but mostly we’ll cast anew.”
As for troubled star Ezra Miller, Gunn made specific comments about the Flash star stating the door isn’t closed for continued projects with Ezra.
“Ezra is completely committed to their recovery. 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.”
Dwayne Johnson also confirmed that his character, Black Adam, won’t be in “the first chapter of storytelling” in Gunn and Safran’s master plan.
The upcoming slate of projects includes:
Upcoming film projects from DC
- Superman: Legacy – written by Gunn, the film will hit theaters on July 11, 2025, and focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Henry Cavill won’t be continuing on as Superman at this time in light of Gunn’s plans for a film about a younger Clark Kent.
- The Authority – WildStorm characters will join the DCU as members of The Authority take matters into their own hands to do what they believe is right. Gunn called it a “very different look” at superheroes. Recall that in a recent comic book run, none other than Superman is the leader of The Authority.
- The Brave and the Bold – the DCU will introduce Batman and Robin in this unusual father-son story inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic series. Gunn told reporters that Damian Wayne is “a little son of bitch,” who will keep Bruce Wayne on his toes. Ben Affleck will not return to the role.
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – this science fiction adventure, which will be based on Tom King’s amazing, award-winning recent comics stories, presents a Supergirl viewers are not used to seeing. It’s a darker take on the iconic character. In King’s story, a hardened and jaded Supergirl ends up being enlisted by a young girl to avenge the death of her father, a la True Grit. Gunn says the tale will highlight the difference between Superman’s upbringing on Earth versus Supergirl, who was “raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, and who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth.”
- Swamp Thing – the film will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing. In the comics, scientist Alec Holland is murdered after a bomb goes off and becomes an avatar of “The Green,” with the full command of nature at his will.
Upcoming television projects for HBO Max
- Creature Commandos – a seven-episode animated show in which Amanda Waller creates a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners; Gunn wrote all the episodes of the first season. The team was initially a grouping of classic monsters founded to fight Nazis, but Gunn states the project will be a modern update of the concept. The full line-up brings back some favorites from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, including Rick Flag’s father, Rick Flag Sr., and Weasel, alongside characters Nina Mazursky, Doctor Phosphorus, Eric Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, and G.I. Robot.
- Waller – starring Viola Davis, this series features Team Peacemaker and will be written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural). Helmed by Christal Henry and Jeremy Carver of the Doom Patrol series, the show will see Amanda Waller partner with members of “Team Peacemaker” for a mission that’s “out of this world.”
- Booster Gold – Booster Gold uses basic technology from the future to pretend to be a superhero in the present day. In the comic books, Michael Jon Carter, a janitor from the future, steals superhero tech and travels to our modern day in hopes of being a hero. We are expecting it to be a comedic series like Peacemaker.
- Lanterns – this enormous TV event series follows intergalactic cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they uncover a dark mystery. Gunn described the series as the DCU’s version of True Detective.
- Paradise Lost – set in Themyscira, home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman, this drama focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women. The story reportedly takes place before Diana’s birth as the isle without men begins to establish itself. Gunn compared the series to Game of Thrones.
Check out James Gunn discussing the upcoming changes to the DCU in the Twitter video below.
Comic books the DCU will be built upon
With a brand new direction for DC, fans of course wonder which comic books and graphic novels will form the basis for the new DUC. During the announcement, James Gunn revealed that he brought Tom King on board to help adapt his Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow storyline, and Grant Morrison’s Batman comic book run was referred to as the main inspiration for The Brave and the Bold, a movie focused on Damian Wayne. Shortly after the announcement, James Gunn tweeted details about additional comic books that will inspire the new DCU. He cautioned however:
“That doesn’t mean we’re adapting all these comics, but that the feel, the look, or the tone of them are touchstones for our team.”
The tweet included these covers:
The comic book covers include Grant Morrison’s Batman run, the series where Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s son, was introduced.
Swamp Thing will be inspired by Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing. Moore introduced Swamp Thing’s origin story which will likely play a large role in the film.
All-Star Superman, also from Grant Morrison, was cited as the inspiration for much of the new direction the DCU is taking. This is an interesting choice because All-Star Superman follows Superman during his last days on Earth, after he realizes he is dying from exposure to the Sun.
Finally, the cover of the The Authority Omnibus by Warren Ellis was tweeted as the source for the upcoming The Authority film.
Projects outside DCU will be labelled DC Elseworlds
James Gunn revealed that projects outside of this main canon, such as Matt Reeves’ The Batman, will be labeled as DC Elseworlds moving forward. This is similar to DC Comics, where stories that take place outside the DC canon are imprinted under the Elseworlds label. Upcoming films that will fall under DC Elseworlds include The Batman Part II, Joker: Folie a Deux, and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Superman film which will feature a black Man of Steel.
Lest you think Elseworlds is set to continue DC’s flabbergasting universe, James Gunn emphasized going forward how a project will need to be “really special” to justify making it outside of the mainline DCU continuity.
“The bar for an Elseworlds tale is going to be higher than the bar for a movie within the DCU. Not that we’re not always going to have a high bar, but it’s got to be something really special for us to tell that story outside of our regular continuity and to spend the money to make it.”
Still, fans can expect other films, and maybe even a TV series or two, to be added to DC Elseworlds in the future.
