Set to be written and directed by James Mangold, Swamp Thing has been described by James Gunn and Peter Safran as “tonally different” than the other projects in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters but still “interconnected” with the rest of the slate. Not expected to release before 2027, Swamp Thing will “investigate the dark origins” of the Green Man created by Len Wein in 1972.
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The first project to be given the green light by co-chairs Peter Safran and James Gunn’s DC Studios, Creature Commandos is a seven-episode animated series slated to be released on Max in 2024. , Creature Commandos is already in production working off scripts by Gunn. Safran stated that he was “staggered at the caliber of the scripts” adding “we’ll see how everything else comes, but the screenplays are amazing.“ Based on a comic book team that included a gorgon, a werewolf, and Frankenstein’s monster going to battle in World War II, Gunn’s Creature Commandos will have a little different makeup and will be assembled by Amanda Waller.
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Waller, which was greenlit at WB before James Gunn and Peter Safran created DC Studios, will see the return of Viola Davis to the titular role that she first filled in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Though it remains to see how it will fit into the all-new, all-different DCU, according to Safran, Waller set between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker and should hit Max before the release of Superman: Legacy.
In March 2024, Gunn shared the news that the production of Waller had been delayed by the strikes, forcing a shift in production. The events of the series will not take place after Season 2 of Peacemaker.
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Slated as the second theatrical release in Chapter 1, The Authority is described by James Gunn as a project about group of “morally grey characters” who are “basically good intentioned” but think that “the world is completely broken and the only way to fix it is to take things into their own hands, whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments—basically, whatever they want to do to make the world better.” The script, which was outlined by Gunn, was being developed by an unknown writer before the WGA strike.
The team roster has changed considerably and the DCU iteration of the team has not been revealed but it is very likely that Apollo and Midnighter are among those chosen for the adaptation.
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Described as a “Game of Thrones-ish” Max series set on Themyscira before the birth of Diana, Paradise Lost will delve into “the political intrigue behind a society of all women,” according to Peter Safran. While Wonder Woman is a big part of James Gunn‘s plans for the DCU, Paradise Lost is not expected to feature the character but rather serve as the origin story for the Amazons.
Based on Grant Morrison‘s 2006 epic run on Batman, The Brave and the Bold will introduce the DCU’s main continuity Batman alongside his son, Damian, who James Gunn called his favorite Robin. While at it’s center it will be “a very strange sort of father-son story,” according to Gunn, who noted that Damian is “a little son-of-a-bitch,” the film will also introduce other members of the Bat-Family because, according to Peter Safran, “we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.” Rumors had The Flash and It director Andy Muschietti helming The Brave and the Bold for DC Studios and in June 2023, a trade report confirmed that to be the case.
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An outright comedy series being developed for Max, Booster Gold is the story of Michael Jon Carter, a character who both James Gunn and Peter Safran have described as “a loser from the future who uses his basic future technology to come back to today to pretend to be a superhero.” Traveling to the present day from the 25th Century, Carter “tries to use this future technology to be loved by the people of today,” according to Gunn who describes the show as “imposter syndrome as a superhero.”
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Though it won’t be the first DCU project to be released, Peter Safran has referred to Superman: Legacy as the “start of the DCU.” Referred to as a “four-quadrant film” by James Gunn, the goal is to make the film “for everyone” and that’s a tough job. To do so, Gunn is looking to take the Man of Steel back to his roots as “the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way.” “He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned,” said Gunn of Kal-El, who will be established as a major player in the new DCU in Superman: Legacy.
The search for the DCU’s Superman and Lois kicked off in earnest in May when Gunn and crew began screen-testing actors. Following the tests, David Corenswet landed the part of Kal-El and Rachel Brosnahan rose to the top of an impressive list of talent to become the DCU’s Lois Lane. Several months later, Nicholas Hoult–who also read for the role of Superman–was cast as Lex Luthor.
Superman: Legacy will feature a handful of other metahuman heroes who are already active in the world when the movie takes place. Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific will be joined by Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). María Gabriela De Faría is set to play another comic book hero, The Engineer, but with a twist: the character will be one of the film’s villains.
On February 29th, 2024, James Gunn revealed that production had begun on the film which had been retitled Superman.
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Described by Peter Safran as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” that’s “much more True Detective” than space opera, Lanterns will be a Max streaming series that focuses on DC’s two most iconic Green Lanterns: Hal Jordan and John Stewart. As for what the Lanterns are investigating, according to Safran it’s an “ancient horror” found on Earth that “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” of Gods and Monsters.
In September 2024, casting for the series got underway when Emmy-award-winning actor Kyle Chandler landed the role of Hal Jordan. Shortly after that, Aaron Pierre landed the role of series co-lead John Stewart.
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Comic book writer Tom King was called “one of the architects” of the new DCU by James Gunn and his 2022 book, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is being adapted as a feature film in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The film won’t be a one-to-one adaptation, according to Gunn, who says the DCU’s Supergirl will be much more “hardcore” based on her traumatic past. “In our story, we have Superman who was sent to Earth and raised by incredibly loving parents. Kara was on Krypton. She was on a piece of Krypton that drifted away from the planet and she lived there for the first fourteen years of her life in a horrible situation where she watched everyone around her die. So, she’s a much harsher and more fucked up Supergirl than you’ve been used to thus far.”
In January 2024, it was reported that Milly Alcock, Meg Donnelly and Emilia Jones were among those screen testing for the role of Kara Zor-El. After Jones dropped out of contention for the role, Alcock became the DCU’s Supergirl on January 29, 2024.
In April 2024, trade reports indicated that Craig Gillespie was DC Studios’ top target to direct the film and that production was slated to kick off in late 2024. In May 2024, the film was given a release date of June 26, 2026.
In September 2024, Old Guard star Matthias Schoenaerts was cast as the film’s main antagonist, Krem of the Yellow Hills.
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