Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: DC News

  • ‘Superman’ Set Prop Solves New Teaser’s Major Mystery

    ‘Superman’ Set Prop Solves New Teaser’s Major Mystery

    The first teaser for DC Studios’ Superman garnered over 250 million views in its first day, making it, according to DC Studios’ co-chair and the film’s director James Gunn, the most viewed trailer in the history of DC and its parent company, Warner Bros. Given the latter’s century-long history of producing some of Hollywood’s biggest movies, that’s an incredible accomplishment.

    The teaser provided the first look at David Corenswet‘s Man of Steel and the all-new DCU and it looks as though there will be a lot going on both in Metropolis and around the globe. In fact, it’s possible that at least a few of those 250 million views came from fans checking out the trailer multiple times while trying to uncover some clues about a mysterious figure seen on the front page of The Daily Planet.

    Visible in several different scenes, the front page story of the paper boasts the headline “Hammer of Boravia Creates Havoc Downtown” next to a photo of said Hammer. Without a clear look at the photo, fans began to theorize about who the character may be with classic DC villain and Legion of Doom member Gorilla Grodd a popular pick. The character does, after all, appear in Creature Commandos and the blurry image does contain a pretty bulky figure. However, a high-res copy of the paper obtained by Twitter user DCU Updates reveals exactly who the chaos causer is and some very intriguing details that add context to the teaser.

    It turns out the mysterious “Hammer of Boravia” is actually just the Hammer of Boravia, a character it seems that Gunn created for the movie rather than someone drawn from DC Comics’ lore. And he’s made the front page The Daily Planet because he came to town looking to tangle with Superman after the Man of Steel took it upon himself to end Boravia’s invasion of its neighboring country, Jarhanpur.

    Metropolis was targeted by a superpowered mystery man on Sunday, resulting in over 20 million dollars in damage to the city. The self-titled “Hammer of Boravia” attacked Downtown Metropolis claiming it was retribution for the recent political interventions in Boravia by Superman. This vengeful expedition turned into a terrorist assault on American soil, hospitalizing 22 Metropolis citizens. Boravia has been the source of numerous headlines worldwide in recent weeks as it invaded its neighboring country Jarhanpur, only for the brief war to be swiftly ended by the Superman. The President of Boravia, Vasil Glarkos(?), maintains the Hammer of Boravia is not a representative of the national government, but rather an independent vigilante.

    As theorized here, Superman seems to have taken inspiration from one of the character’s earliest comic book adventures which saw him single-handedly put a stop to a civil war raging in Boravia. It remains to be seen what stake, if any, LuthorCorps has in the Boravian invasion of Jarhanpur and if that’s how Superman ends up in the sights of Nicholas Hoult ‘s Lex Luthor.

    When addressing the political ramifications of his actions, Superman said, “While critics thousands of miles away from this conflict continue to argue if what I did was right or wrong, the bottom line is peoples lives were threatened. I had to act.”

    The notion of Superman inserting himself into global geopolitics isn’t novel, having played a major role in the character’s DC Comics history, with the character once having renounced his U.S. citizenship in Action Comics #900. “I’m tired of having my actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy,” the hero said, adding “Truth, justice and the American way – it’s not enough anymore. The world’s too small. Too connected” And that certainly seems to be the vibe Gunn was after by having the character involved in the invasion of Jarhanpur.

  • James Gunn Reveals the One Major Marvel Mistake He Won’t Repeat in ‘Superman’

    James Gunn Reveals the One Major Marvel Mistake He Won’t Repeat in ‘Superman’

    After a nearly decade at Marvel Studios in which he built the foundation for the MCU’s Cosmic corner, James Gunn has now endeavored to build something far more massive. As the co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn seeks to find the sweet spot that allows for DC Comics rich stable of characters and stories to carve out its own space in the spotlight while also providing a way to ensure the fledgling shared universe has the same kind of staying power Marvel Studios has managed to display.

    Gunn’s experience at as a filmmaker Marvel, where he directed three films and one special presentation in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, certainly wasn’t entirely positive. While Guardians of the Galaxy was nearly universally beloved, each of its sequels presented their own unique challenges, including, according to Gunn, some of his own making and one in particular that he’s eager to avoid as he builds the base of the DCU.

    While talking to Phase Hero about DC Studios’ first theatrical project, Superman, Gunn was asked if the film would feature any end credits scenes, a tradition fans of superhero projects have grown accustomed to thanks to Marvel Studios. Gunn‘s response indicated that his ideas on the popular scenes have evolved over time.

    “Sort of,” said Gunn when asked by Brandon Davis is Superman would have a credits scene. Before explaining what his plans were, he explained what they are not.

    “If you look at my credits scene on the Marvel movies, the one time I fucked myself was when I put Adam Warlock in because then I’m like, ‘Oh shit, now I gotta put Adam Warlock in the next movie,’ which actually was a pain in the ass.”

    -James Gunn

    Admitting to having painted himself into a corner by having to work Adam Warlock into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 isn’t all that surprising both because Gunn has always been incredibly introspective and because it was fairly obvious to anyone who watched the film that the character wasn’t a great fit for the story. Gunn’s awareness that Marvel’s credits scene tradition, which began as fun, well-intended source of “water cooler conversation”, has developed into an issue for the studio is refreshing. The scenes have distracted from the films, aren’t always followed up and have dipped in quality over the years; in short, it’s time for them to go, or at least become less important. And it sounds as though that’s what Gunn has in mind for whatever credit scenes he has cooked up for Superman.

    “So I’m not gonna set up whole universes with end credits scenes,” Gunn told Savis. “I love giving audiences who sit through all of the credits end credits scenes but I’d rather it be something that’s fun for fans and not necessarily ‘Hey, we’re setting up the whole next part of the universe.” So while Nathan Fillion‘s Guy Gardner, who will debut in Superman, will have a role in the streaming series Lanterns, maybe don’t expect a scene that sets the stage for his role in the series… because that scene can just be included in the first episode of Lanterns and allow Superman to tell Superman’s story.

    As if Gunn’s pragmatic, experience-based reasoning isn’t enough, there’s also the fact that developing superhero projects has proven to be a very fluid process, something of which he’s keenly aware as DC Studios gets up, up and away. As he’s made clear, being in development and being in production are two very different ideas at DC Studios.

    Projects which seemed to be close to being realized when the DCU slate was first revealed in January 2024 have moved down the list while others have been bumped up. Gunn recently stated that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was not initially intended to be the DCU’s second film and Clayface, which will go into production early next year, wasn’t even part of the original list of Chapter One projects. So, as Gunn points out, why add something important to the end of a project when so much can change.”Because I know how it goes and I know what it’s like,” said Gunn of why the credits scenes shouldn’t carry so much importance. “You think of the best credits scene, but then you gotta adhere to that down the road.”

    Source: Phase Hero

  • DC Studios Updates Its 2026 Theatrical Release Slate

    DC Studios Updates Its 2026 Theatrical Release Slate

    As the one-year anniversary of the announcement DC Studios’ initial slate draws near, it’s becoming increasingly clear that there’s much more to Chapter One: Gods and Monsters than initially revealed. With Creature Commandos making a solid first impression for the new studio and an enormous amount of attention being given to a discussion about when the first look at Superman may or may not arrive, other projects have quietly made progress behind the scenes.

    One such project, a solo film featuring the Batman villain Clayface was just reported by Deadline to be moving ahead with a script by Mike Flanagan having pleased DC Studios powers that be. Though the report indicated the studio was still searching for a director, the belief was that an official announcement was imminent. And indeed it was.

    After being officially announced by DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn, Clayface has been slated for theatrical release on September 11, 2026.

    Clayface will reportedly be a small-budget ($40M) horror-tragedy set within the all-new DCU and may take inspiration from Batman: The Animated Series version of the character.

    Also seemingly lost in Deadline’s report on Clayface’s release date is that DC Studios has a third theatrical release date scheduled for 2026. The trade reports that May 29, 2026 has been set aside by Warner Bros. for a currently unknown project. While it shouldn’t be taken as confirmation, a recent Production Weekly listing indicated that DC Studios’ Teen Titans, written by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow scribe Ana Nogueira, may be ready to go into production next year.

    Taken in combination with the recent insider report that the studio had settled on the roster of heroes set to make up the Teen Titans, it’s worth monitoring the situation over thecnext few months. Whatever the mystery May project is, production on it would have to get underway in the next 5-6 months or so in order for it to make it to theaters on time.

    Should all dates hold, DC Studios 2026 theatrical release slate would be compromised of:

    May 29, 2026: Untitled DC Studios film

    June 26, 2026: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

    September 11, 2026: Clayface

    Source: Deadline

  • James Gunn Reveals What Will Set His ‘Superman’ Apart from Prior Efforts

    James Gunn Reveals What Will Set His ‘Superman’ Apart from Prior Efforts

    With Creature Commandos having made its debut on Max, the all-new DCU is officially underway. As DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn has said, however, the animated series is designed to be an appetizer, a way “for people to just take a little nibble [of the all-new DCU] and see what it tastes like.” In that metaphor, the main course becomes Superman, written and directed by Gunn, which is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

    To date, fans haven’t truly been able to get a good idea for the feel of the upcoming film but that’s all about to change with the debut of the film’s first teaser trailer expected before Christmas. Trailers for superhero films alwyas find themselves under intense scrutiny but it’s reasonable to assume that for a multitude of reasons, the first look at DC Studios’ Superman is facing a challenge worthy of the Man of Steel himself. With so many live-action iterations of the character already having made their way to screens big and small, everyone has a favorite Superman which means David Corenswet‘s version of Kal-El will be compared to all of them.

    To that end, Gunn, who has loved Superman since seeing Richard Donner‘s 1978 film in theaters, has smartly taken measures to set Corenswet’s Kal-El apart from those that came before him. In an interview with Josh Horowitz, Gunn has explained that the biggest difference is that his inspiration for the character came from DC Comics’ Silver Age, in which Superman was a nigh invulnerable powerhouse.

    “I don’t think we’ve ever seen the big science fiction Silver Age Superman aspects that we have in our movie,” said Gunn. “We’ve never seen…you’ll see when the movie comes out, but we’ve never seen this specific part of Superman’s life.” It’s not entirely clear to what Gunn is referring in the second quote, however, the Silver Age Superman came to Earth as an older child complete with memories of Krypton and began a superhero career as Superboy during his time in Smallville making him a known quantity much earlier than Henry Cavill’s Snyderverse version.

    Whatever it is Gunn has planned for Superman, it’s clear that it will involve his comic book archenemy antagonizing him in a much different way than has been shown onscreen so far.

    “I don’t think we’ve ever seen the Lex that [Nicolas Hoult] is,” explained Gunn.”Nic is imposing. You go, ‘Oh, fuck, poor Superman.’ That’s the thing we never see, not in film,” Gunn added. And, of course, he is not wrong. While Gene Hackman‘s Luthor may well be iconic, he was nowhere near as fully developed as many iterations of Lex have been in the comics, which seem to be serving as a waypoint for Hoult’s Luthor.

    “Sometimes in the comics you go, ‘Oh, Superman is fucked because Lex is so smart and so good at what he’s doing’,” said Gunn, ” but in the movies, you’re going, ‘Lex is about to get fucked.’” From what we’ve seen from set photos, it does indeed seem that Luthor will gain a significant advantage over Kal-El in Superman.

    Source: YouTube

  • James Gunn Addresses DC Studios’ Delayed ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    James Gunn Addresses DC Studios’ Delayed ‘The Brave and the Bold’

    Leading off an ambitious effort to create an ongoing shared cinematic universe with an animated series about a group of monsters that are certainly not anyone’s favorite DC Comics characters proves that DC Studios will not be fully dependent on DC’s Trinity. However, as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman go, so too, ultimately, will the DCU. And to that end, DC Studio’s co-CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran, also made sure to include projects featuring Superman and Batman and one that at the very least is adjacent to Wonder Woman when they revealed 10 of the projects that will be part of the first wave of DC Studio’s new era of storytelling.

    Nearly two years after rolling out a peek at Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, things seem to be moving along smoothly. Creature Commandos will debut on December 5th, Superman will hit theaters next summer and both Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and the HBO streaming series Lanterns are set to kick off production in early 2025. However, despite reportedly having landed a director in Andy Muschetti, development on the studio’s Batman and Robin vehicle, The Brave and the Bold, remains static. Recently, Gunn has made it clear that the 10 projects he and Safran revealed were not necessarily the first 10 that fans would see, explaining that the slate is far more fluid and flexible and that projects that were not announced are far closer to beginning production than some of those that were. In an interview with Collider, Gunn took the time to give deeper insight into the studio’s process behind the scenes, explaining why cameras won’t be rolling on The Brave and the Bold any time soon.

    “There’s no set timeline for anything,” said Gunn when asked when The Brave and the Bold might hit theaters. “The one thing that I’ve tried to make clear to people from the beginning, and the way that I hope we’re different, is that everything in DC is gonna be based on the writers. Until we have a screenplay that I’m totally happy with, that movie is not going to get made, no matter what it is.” One doesn’t have to be an expert at reading between the lines to understand why Bruce and Damian Wayne swinging into theaters together in 2025.

    Gunn went on to explain that a pair of projects, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Lanterns, were able to move ahead in the queue because their scripts, written by Ana Nogueira and the team of Tom King, Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy, respectively, came together quickly and wowed him. “We have been really fortunate with some screenplays,” Gunn explained. “Supergirl came in, and just, wow, Ana did such an amazing job. The Lanterns pilot came in, and now the whole Lantern series came in, and it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s wonderful, wonderful work.’”

    While The Brave and the Bold was never given a release date, its inclusion in the initial slate reveal did give the impression that it would be making its way into theaters relatively quickly. As projects from the initial slate and others like Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock, which DC Studios has not officially announced, start to move toward casting and production, the perception is that The Brave and the Bold might be in trouble; however, without naming any specific projects, Gunn reiterated that the reason some move ahead and other don’t is simply because the scripts aren’t where he believes they need to be to make a good film. “There are a couple of other things that people don’t know about. There are a couple of movies and TV shows that are green-lit or near-green-lit,” teased Gunn. “But it’s going to be based, always, on the story because, at the end of the day, if we’re happy with the story that we’re telling, that’s what matters most. And once Brave and the Bold gets to that point, then we’ll make the movie. That’s really all it is.“

    Source: Collider

  • DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    Over the past several weeks, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has made it clear that the relatively newly formed production company has one very important guiding principle: no DCU project is given the green light until a finished script has been turned in. As a result, some projects that were not part of the studio’s original list of upcoming projects have moved ahead of those that were. For example, Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock film seems to have far more momentum at the moment than the studio’s first Batman and Robin story, The Brave and the Bold.

    Whether it’s a lesson learned from his time at Marvel Studios, one he’s learned since announcing a slate of 10 DCU projects that has already seen it’s order rearranged or a combination of the two, it’s something that’s clearly important to Gunn and will ultimately cause less consternation and confusion among fans.

    Perhaps the best example of how quickly even the best laid plans can change is the Viola Davis-led streaming series, Waller. Originally announced as the project set to follow Creature Commandos and planned to take place between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker, progress on Waller was slowed significantly in 2023 by a pair of protracted work stoppages in Hollywood. As a result, Season 2 of Peacemaker, which recently completed principal photography, jumped up in line while work continued on Waller.

    Like Peacemaker, the idea of Waller, a spinoff of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad, predates the existence of the all-new DCU. In development since 2022, Waller is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, Doom Patrol). Gunn has said the series “won’t be as much a comedy as Peacemaker” while adding that it is “really fantastic and HBO loves it.”

    While the series obviously hasn’t been completely cast with no firm production start innsight, a few key characters will make their returns beside Davis’ Amanda Waller. One of those will be Steve Agee‘s A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos, who played a key role in Season 1 of Peacemaker and will make an appearance in Creature Commandos. While promoting the latter in an interview with Screen Rant, Agee updated the progress on Waller.

    “I think they’re still doing scripts, so there’s no set time yet, and James won’t start something until he’s absolutely happy with the scripts and they’re they’re ready to go,” explained Agee. “So once they’re ready, I’m sure he’ll announce a start time – as an actor who loves to work, it can’t happen soon enough, though, for me!“

    And so a project once on track for a 2025 release date is currently undated and, as of now, still being written. While there’s no doubt that Waller will eventually make its way to HBO, it stands as a great example of why, moving forward, Gunn has decided to keep projects under wraps, at least officially, until they’re ready to roll.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Sets Premiere Window

    ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Sets Premiere Window

    The first season of Peacemaker certainly caught audiences off guard, becoming an instant hit with its irreverent comedy and offbeat sense of family. As James Gunn, who created the series, stepped into a new and larger role as the co-chair of DC Studios, a second season of the series was already well into development leaving fans wondering how, if at all, it could fit into the new continuity. While there’s still no answer to that question, we do at least know when the sophomore season of the hit HBO series will stream.

    As part of a series of announcements made by HBO and Max Content CEO and Chairman Casey Bloys, it was revealed that Season 2 of Peacemaker will hit HBO in August 2025.

    Gunn has made it clear that the new season of Peacemaker will be set in the new DCU and there’s been some rumors that there will be some crossover between the series and Gunn’s Superman, set to hit theaters in July 2025, with many wondering if Superman will indeed appear in the new season. Frank Grillo‘s Rick Flag Sr., who will first appear in the animated Creature Commandos, is set to appear in both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, confirming an overlap in the continuity of the two projects. Now all that’s left is to see how they execute it on screen.

    Source: IGN

  • DC Studios Officially Reveals Its ‘Lanterns’ Co-Stars

    DC Studios Officially Reveals Its ‘Lanterns’ Co-Stars

    DC Studios’ Lanterns is ready for launch. After assembling an all-star team of writers led by Ozark‘s Chris Mundy, DC Comics’ ace Tom King and TV icon Damon Lindelof, the first DCU streaming series quickly began the process of assembling talent on both sides of the camera with an eye of some big time stars filling the roles of co-leads Hal Jordan and John Stewart. After an extensive search that included some A-list turndowns, DC Studios has officially announced the pair of talented actors that will lead the HBO prestige series.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.

    -DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran on Lanterns
    Via social media, Max revealed that Rebel Ridge breakout star Aaron Pierre and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) have been cast as John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively.

    Previously described as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” that “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” in the DCU’s first chapter of stories, Lanterns will revolve around the central characters finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Word is that Jordan will be a grizzled vet–which makes Chandler a great choice–and that Stewart, played by the up-and-coming Pierre, will be a new member of the Corps working with him as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”

    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn on Lanterns

    News of Chandler‘s inclusion in the project was first shared by the THR at the end of September. Pierre had recently been reported to be on the DC Studios’ shortlist for the role of Stewart. Production on Lanterns is slated to being in Atlanta early in 2025 which means the series is likely to find its way to HBO in 2026.

  • DC Studios Developing Big Batman Baddie Team Up

    DC Studios Developing Big Batman Baddie Team Up

    Very few, if any, comic book superheroes boast a rogues’ gallery that rivals the one accumulated by Batman over the years. While the mainstays like Joker, Riddler, Penguin and Catwoman have found their way into many of the different versions of Batman’s theatrical and television stories over the years, the Caped Crusader has another dozen or so villains who are arguably more formidable than many other heroes’ archenemies.

    As Matt Reeves‘ Batman Epic Crime Saga unfolds, it’s clear that his grounded Gotham will continue to focus on the aforementioned baddies as well as the city’s organized crime families. Meanwhile, DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran are charting a separate course for their vision of Batman who will play within the DCU sandbox that is still very much under construction. As part of the first public reveal of the plans for the DCU, the co-chairs shared the news that they were developing The Brave and The Bold as a vehicle to introduce not only Batman but also an as-yet undisclosed number of members of the Batfamily. Now, even as that project continues to be developed, a new report indicates the studio will utilize a pair of Batman’s deadliest rogues in another project.

    According to THR’s Borys Kit, DC Studios has hired Captain America: Brave New World rewrite scribe Matthew Orton to develop a script that features Batman baddies Bane and Deathstroke.

    Both villains have appeared in prior Batman films with Tom Hardy bringing Bane to life in The Dark Knight Rises and Joe Manganiello portraying Slade Wilson in the DCEU. A follow-up report by Deadline indicated that the nature of Orton’s project is not clear and that the film may not feature Bane and Deathstroke as the central characters of the piece but rather as part of a larger ensemble. As such it remains unclear what the project is but numerous online personalities are already laying down hints that Orton may be writing a Secret Six film for DC Studios.

    Source: THR, Deadline

  • DC Studios’ ‘Lanterns’ Series Targeting a Major MCU Star for the Role of Hal Jordan

    DC Studios’ ‘Lanterns’ Series Targeting a Major MCU Star for the Role of Hal Jordan

    After years of being remembered as one of the most maligned comic book movies of all time, DC’s Green Lantern IP is getting another shot at stardom…and so far it’s shaping up to be one hell of a comeback.

    First announced by DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran in 2023, the HBO streaming series Lanterns will be the vehicle to bring the Green Lantern Corps to the DCU. Created by Ozark writer Chris Mundy, DC Comics ace Tom King and TV legend Damon Lindelof, Lanterns will focus on two of the corps‘ most well-known members, John Stewart and Hal Jordan. Having recently been ordered straight to series, Lanterns began casting for the two lead roles this summer and now a new report indicates that they have made an offer to a major Hollywood star to portray Jordan.

    According to Nexus Point News, DC Studios’ has extended an offer to Josh Brolin to fill the role of DC’s most well-known Lantern, Hal Jordan.

    Brolin, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2009 film Milk, is one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars and would bring even more credibility to Lanterns already impressive roster of talent. No stranger to superhero fare, having portrayed Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool 2, Brolin also has a successful streaming series under his belt in Prime’s Outer Range.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.

    -James Gunn and Peter Safran on Lanterns

    Previously described as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” that “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” in the DCU’s first chapter of stories, Lanterns will revolve around the central characters finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Word is that Jordan will be a grizzled vet–which makes Brolin a great choice–and that Stewart will be a new member of the Corps working with him as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”

    Source: Nexus Point News