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Tag: dcu

  • New Report Details When and Where Production on ‘Superman: Legacy’ Will Take Off

    New Report Details When and Where Production on ‘Superman: Legacy’ Will Take Off

    James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy has consistently been making headlines recently. Gunn recently indicated that he had put together a wishlist of talent for the project and that “early pre-production” on the 2025 release was underway. Now a new report from Heroic Hollywood reveals that the cameras are set to roll on DC Studios’ first theatrical release sooner than expected.

    According to the site, Superman: Legacy will kick off principal photography in Atlanta in January 2024. Atlanta has been a hub for superhero projects over the last decade with dozens of Marvel Studios films and streaming series being produced in and around the area. Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Captain America: New World Order are currently filming in Atlanta with Blade on deck.

    Gunn described Superman: Legacy as the “launch of the DCU” and co-chair Peter Safran explained that the film will see Superman trying to balance “his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.” A fan of Richard Donner‘s 1978 Superman, Gunn will look to incorporate some of the classic Superman themes that were on display in the film in his Legacy project, according to Safran who said, “Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

    Superman: Legacy is set to land in theaters on July 11, 2025.

    Source: Heroic Hollywood

  • James Gunn Confirms Superman’s Pal Will Appear in ‘Superman: Legacy’

    James Gunn Confirms Superman’s Pal Will Appear in ‘Superman: Legacy’

    For fans of Superman, there’s a core group of characters whose stories are hard to separate from the Man of Steel. For better or for worse, Ma and Pa Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor are all fairly inextricably connected to Clark Kent. With a new Superman film coming as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new DCU, it’ll be important for Gunn–who is writing and directing Superman: Legacy–to find a way to make the reintroduction of all those characters into the mainstream feel fresh, should he choose to use them. With Gunn recently revealing that he’d begun “early pre-production” on the film and posting a picture of the current script for the film, you can be sure he’s thought through which characters are a must for the first adventure and now he’s revealed who one of them is.

    Responding to a fan on Twitter, Gunn revealed that Daily Planet photojournalist and longtime bestie of Superman, Jimmy Olsen will “of course” be in the movie.

    Olsen has appeared in multiple Superman-related projects in different mediums over the years. Actors such as Marc McClure, Aaron Ashmore, Mehcad Brooks and Michael Cassidy have all added their own touches to the character with some straying pretty far from the nature of Olsen in the comics. Given that the premise of Gunn’s new film revolves around Superman holding strong to old school values, it’s possible the newest iteration of Olsen might more closely resemble the innocent “Jeepers Mr. Kent” version than the CIA operative. With Gunn noting that he’s put together a list of preferred actors and actresses for the film, the identity of the new Jimmy Olsen may be just around the corner.

  • James Gunn Confirms When ‘Creature Commandos’ Will Kick Off the New DCU

    James Gunn Confirms When ‘Creature Commandos’ Will Kick Off the New DCU

    When James Gunn revealed part of DC Studios Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, it was revealed that the animated Max series Creature Commandos was the first project to get the green light. When the series was announced, Gunn has already completed scripting all seven episodes and with casting just recently announced, it’s been pretty consistently clear that it would be the project that launched the new DCU. Now Gunn has given fans an idea of when they can expect to see the motley crew.

    While participating in one of his favorite pastimes (interacting with fans on Twitter), Gunn revealed that Creature Commandos is slated for a 2024 release on Max, the new name of the combined streaming services HBO Max and Discovery.

    Gunn and Peter Safran have made it clear that the plan is for the talent who lend their voices to Creature Commandos to also portray the characters in live-action. It was made clear that Rick Flag Sr., voiced by Frank Grillo, will show up in other projects and it’s likely he won’t be the only one. With the streaming series Waller likely the next project in the queue, and Viola Davis part of the cast of Creature Commandos, it’s possible we might see Flag Sr. in live action sooner rather than later.

  • Andy Muschietti Rumored to Be Back Behind the Camera for a New DC Studios Project

    Andy Muschietti Rumored to Be Back Behind the Camera for a New DC Studios Project

    It’s hard to imagine that there’s a comic book film that’s had a stranger saga than The Flash. While it’s finally set to be released this June, it’s been a long, rough road to release. Warner Bros. had been developing the property for over two decades when they finally added it to their slate of planned films and gave it a 2018 release date. Seth Grahame-Smith was brought on board to write and direct the Ezra Miller flick but bailed on the project citing creative differences. Warner Bros. swiftly replaced Grahame-Smith with Rick Famuyiwa who swiftly left citing…creative differences. By 2018, The Flash had become Flashpoint and then The Flash again, got a new creative team as John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein agreed to write and direct and was pushed to 2021 as Miller kept busy with his work in The Fantastic Beasts franchise. Daley and Goldstein hit the road and were replaced by It director Andy Muschietti who, by some miracle, stuck around long enough to make the film. And that’s not even getting into the Miller stuff…

    Muschietti’s work on The Flash has been subject to high praise from those who have screened the film ahead of its June 23rd release, including DC Studios co-chair James Gunn who called the film “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.” While the place of Miller’s Flash in the new DCU remains to be seen, a new rumor suggests that Muschietti has proven his mettle and is being tasked with shepherding one of DC Studios recently announced theatrical projects. According to r/DCEUleaks “verified sources”, Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran are eyeing Muschietti to direct The Brave and The Bold, which will introduce the DCU’s prime Batman and his son, Damian.

    Described by Gunn as “a story of Damian Wayne, who’s Batman’s actual son that he didn’t know existed for the first eight to ten years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin,” The Brave and The Bold will be “a very strange sort of father-son story” about Batman and Damian based on the Batman and Son arc from Grant Morrison‘s epic run on Batman at DC Comics. While it’ll focus on Bruce and Damian, Safran shared that the film will also “feature other members of the extended Bat-Family just because we feel like they’ve been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.“ At this time, Gunn has not spoken on the possible inclusion of Muschietti in the project, though given his propensity to address online rumors, it may only be a matter of time before he does.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘X-Men’ Franchise Director Rumored to Be in Line to Helm DC Studios ‘The Authority’

    ‘X-Men’ Franchise Director Rumored to Be in Line to Helm DC Studios ‘The Authority’

    The inclusion of The Authority among the new DCU’s theatrical projects certainly came as a surprise to fans when James Gunn revealed part of the slate of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. The super team, once described as the Anti-Justice League for their lack of a moral compass, is hardly among the most popular group of DC comic book characters but look to play a big part in the overarching narrative of the DCU. As such, Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran would almost certainly love an experienced director behind the camera and according to a new rumor, they’ve found their guy.

    According to r/DCEUleaks “verified sources”, Matthew Vaughn has been slotted in to direct The Authority. Vaughn is a veteran of comic book properties as he’s helmed Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class and the Kingsman trilogy. He is also known to be a huge fan of Superman who was once pursued by Warner Bros. to direct Man of Steel 2 and once developed a trilogy pitch with writer and friend Mark Millar. Interestingly, Millar wrote 12 issues of The Authority for DC following the departure of creators Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch from the series.

    As of yet, Gunn–who is notoriously active on social media when it comes to rumors about his projects–has yet to comment on the veracity of the rumor of Vaughn’s involvement. Whether it turns out to be true or not, Vaughn would certainly check a lot of boxes for both Gunn and fans when it comes to the type of talent attached to one of the new DC tentpoles.

    Source: Reddit

  • Full Voice Cast of DC’s ‘Creature Commandos’ Revealed

    Full Voice Cast of DC’s ‘Creature Commandos’ Revealed

    Following the announcement that Frank Grillo signed onto DC Studios’ Creature Commandos as the voice of Rick Flag Sr., the entire cast of the project was revealed by Collider. As previously explained by James Gunn, the actors providing the voices for the characters in DC Studios animated projects will also be tasked with realizing the characters in live-action should they appear in any projects down the road. With Creature Commandos set to be both the first animated and one of the first overall projects of the new DCU, it’s very possible these actors will be appearing elsewhere in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.

    In addition to Grillo, Viola Davis and Sean Gunn, who had previously been revealed to be reprising his The Suicide Squad role of Weasel but will also be voicing G.I. Robot, Creature Commandos will feature Steve Agee, returning as John Economos, Maria Bakalova making her debut as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Zoe Chao making her debut as Nina Mazursky, David Harbour making his debut as Eric Frankenstein and Alan Tudyk, a DC vet who portrayed Mr. Nobody on Doom Patrol, as Dr. Phosphorous.

    Gunn wrote the 7-episode first season of Creature Commandos, which has already entered into production which is currently without a release window.

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    Source: Collider

  • James Gunn Reveals When to Expect Season 2 of ‘Peacemaker’

    James Gunn Reveals When to Expect Season 2 of ‘Peacemaker’

    The HBO Max streaming series Peacemaker was one of the surprise hits of 2022. Spinning out of James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad, the series followed John Cena‘s titular character as he once again teamed up with Amanda Waller and A.R.G.U.S. to stop Project Butterfly. Even as Gunn took a new role as the co-chair of DC Studios and looks to start with a clean slate, a second season of Peacemaker remained on the slate though how it will transition into the new DCU continuity remains to be seen.

    Needless to say, Gunn is a very busy man these days. Not only is he helping Peter Safran to create and oversee the projects in Chapter 1 of the new DCU, titled Gods and Monsters but he’s also writing and directing Superman: Legacy, one of the most anticipated projects on the slate. With all that going on, fans have begun to question when Gunn will find time for the second season of Peacemaker. As is his way, Gunn took to Twitter to answer those questions.

    While talking about the upcoming Gods and Monsters slate, Gunn indicated that Season 2 of Peacemaker won’t be released until after Superman: Legacy. Interestingly enough, production on the second season of the streaming series was reported to be planned to take place after Gunn wrapped his press responsibilities for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which means it may sit in the can for quite some time before release.

  • Frank Grillo Doubts a Crossbones Return to the MCU, Hints at DCU Future

    Frank Grillo Doubts a Crossbones Return to the MCU, Hints at DCU Future

    There’s always a discussion surrounding how villains are treated in any comic book cinematic franchise. Most commonly, they survive for mostly one film and those that make it out alive aren’t around for too long. So, while the heroes continue to get some development, outside of Loki, most villains end up one-dimensional due to the lack of screen time.

    As it turns out, Crossbones actor Frank Grillo feels the same. His character was seemingly set up for a long future with the Marvel Cinematic Universe but faced an untimely end during Captain America: Civil War. One might argue that without his character, the events of that entire film wouldn’t have taken place but it seems Grillo wasn’t a fan of how his character was treated, and seemingly confirms he’ll appear in an upcoming DC project.

    They never told a story [about Crossbones]. The mythology of the MCU and just what Marvel has in its pool of characters, it’s so deep. Crossbones was there for a minute, but he was supposed to be there longer, then they went the direction they did. I think Crossbones serves a purpose, but I think the interesting thing is that if you see how many people around the world have responded to Crossbones, and again, he’s on the screen for a very f–king short amount of time, I think there’s more there. I think there was more meat on the bone. I was disappointed, which is why I went over to DC.

    Frank Grillo

    It’s certainly a bit strange as he probably had more screen time than any villain in the MCU. Plus, he also returned for two projects even after his character died, as he returned in Avengers: Endgame and even voiced Crossbones again in What If…?. So, he wasn’t a character that was completely sidelined and it would’ve been great to see him return especially with future multiversal storylines. But going by his comments, that ship has sailed.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Shortly after James Gunn announced part of the lineup of the DCU’s Chapter 1-Gods and Monsters, rumors began to swirl that while Ben Affleck‘s days of portraying Batman on screen were done, there was mutual interest in having Affleck direct a project. Before long, a rumor surfaced that had Affleck on a shortlist to direct DC Studios The Brave and The Bold, which would introduce a new Batman and his son, Damian, the new DCU. The rumor was believable enough: Affleck likes Batman and Gunn, who is always actively dispelling rumors on social media, didn’t address it. Now, Affleck has made his thoughts known on the rumor.

    “I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” said Affleck when asked by THR about the possibility of helming a DC Studios project. “I have nothing against James Gunn,” Aflleck clarified, “Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.“

    Affleck didn’t clarify what “the way they’re doing that meant” leaving plenty of room for interpretation for rabid fans who’ll want to read into his comments; however, the only real news here is that Affleck’s superhero days, which date back to 2003’s Daredevil, seem to be behind him and that Gunn’s search for a director for The Brave and the Bold will continue.

    Source: THR

  • Ben Affleck Rumored to Be in the Mix to Helm DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Ben Affleck Rumored to Be in the Mix to Helm DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Once upon a time, Ben Affleck was set to direct a solo Batman project set in DC’s Snyderverse. That project never materialized, the Snyderverse is no more and DC films are entering a new era under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. Affleck is set to appear as Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Flash before hanging up the cowl, presumably for good, though Gunn has expressed an eagerness to work with Affleck as a director on projects set within the new DCU. A new rumor has surfaced that indicates while Affleck may be willing to step aside as Batman, he may have a hand in shaping the new vision for the character.

    According to a rumor from Above the Line, Affleck may be Gunn and Safran’s choice to helm The Brave and The Bold, a Batman and Robin story that will introduce Bruce’s son, Damian, to the DCU. The Brave and The Bold was one of the projects revealed by Gunn to be a part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, the first wave of projects in the new DCU.

    Interestingly enough, though Gunn has actively called out false reports and rumors frequently over the years, he has not addressed Affleck’s involvement with the film despite otherwise addressing parts of the Above the Line report. This shouldn’t be taken as confirmation of the report, though it does at least allow for the conversation to continue on.

    Source: Above the Line