Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: dcu

  • Brightest Day is Finally Here as First ‘LANTERNS’ Teaser Set to Drop Tomorrow

    Brightest Day is Finally Here as First ‘LANTERNS’ Teaser Set to Drop Tomorrow

    It’s been a long, winding road through the emotional spectrum to get here. From the early days of the Greg Berlanti-produced space opera that never was, to the creative pivot that landed the project in the hands of Tom King, Chris Mundy, and Damon Lindelof, the wait for a live-action Green Lantern has felt like an eternity. But according to a new teaser for the teaser, the first look at the DCU’s Lanterns officially arrives tomorrow.

    DC Studios has taken wildly different approach than expected to its first Green Lantern project. This isn’t a CG-heavy trek across the stars; it’s a True Detective-style procedural set right here on Earth. The series is expected to follow intergalactic legend Hal Jordan and the new recruit John Stewart as they investigate a “terrestrial mystery” that has massive implications for the broader DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

    James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken their time with this one. They scrapped the previous iteration to ensure the Lanterns felt like an essential pillar of the new universe rather than a side project. If tomorrow’s teaser shows us that “Ancient Evil” they’ve been hinting at—the one that connects to the center of the DCU’s overarching narrative—then the hype for the 2026 release is going to hit an all-time high.

    Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement—when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins? That push and pull between those two characters is really important.

    -Chris Mundy

    Previously, Mundy revealed that Lanterns would be “as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show.” If the “buddy-cop” dynamic is the engine of this show, tomorrow’s footage needs to nail the tone immediately. And they might want to explain why that ring is framed in gold because that could really pose an issue…

  • ‘The Brave and the Bold’ Reportedly Set to Reunite Creatives Behind Divisive 2023 Box Office Bomb

    Despite being one of the first DCU projects revealed to be in development in January 2023, The Brave and the Bold has faced it’s share of struggles in getting off the ground.

    Though director Andy Muschetti has been attached to the project since mid-2023, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn seemed to make it clear in late 2024 that a script for the project hadn’t been developed and that there was “no set timeline for anything.” Just a few weeks later, Muschetti stated that the project wouldn’t “be happening for a while” and now it looks like there’s an easy explanation for why it has taken so long to get a script together.

    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.

    -James Gunn
    According to industry insider Jeff “The In” Sneider, Christina Hodson, who teamed with Andy Muschetti on The Flash, will pen the screenplay for DC Studios The Brave and the Bold.

    Following Sneider’s report, scooper Apocalyptic Horseman took to Twitter to report he had heard the same news and explain that the delays in getting the production off the ground helped Hodson land the role after she had initially passed on it. According to ApocHorseman, Hodson “was the original choice to write it but scheduling must’ve gotten in the way and all the delays and past writers not working out worked in her favor.”

    Despite being extraordinarily divisive among fans and bombing at the box office, Gunn called 2023’s The Flash “one of the best superhero movies I’ve ever seen,” calling Hodson’s script “magnificent” and crediting her “wonderful writing” with allowing the film to work “so well.” Hodson also wrote scripts for Birds of Prey and Batgirl, the latter of which was deemed by Warner Bros. to be “unwatchable” and was never released. She also wrote the script for Bumblebee, one of the most well-regarded installments in the Transformers franchise.

    Based on Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son arc from his epic run on Batman that began in 2006 which Gunn called one of his “favorite Batman runs,” The Brave and the Bold was described by Gunn as “a very strange sort of father-son story,” that will introduce the DCU’s new Batman alongside his son, Damian. Gunn revealed it 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 its core, The Brave and the Bold will be “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,” explained Gunn, who also called Damian his “favorite Robin.” The film will mark the first time a Robin has appeared in a live-action film since 1997’s Batman and Robin.

    Source: Jeff Sneider

  • ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Reportedly Set to Feature Second Formidable Villain

    ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Reportedly Set to Feature Second Formidable Villain

    In November, insider Daniel Richtman reported that DC Studios had begun searching for an actress in her 20s for a major role in Man of Tomorrow. Following the initial report, Nexus Point News followed up with additional information that had fans theorizing that the character was Wonder Woman.

    As is often the case, DC Studios co-chair and Man of Tomorrow writer/director James Gunn took to social media to shoot down the growing buzz about Wonder Woman making her DCU debut in the Superman sequel. And now, a new report claims to reveal the true identity of the character.

    According to Nexus Point News, the mysterious character will be the alien warrior-queen Maxima.

    A member of the Royal Family of the planet Almerac, Maxima’s primary motivation is the survival and evolution of her bloodline. Considered the ultimate genetic prize of her species because of the unique structure of her DNA, she spent years traveling the cosmos in search of a “suitable” mate—someone whose power could match her own and produce an heir capable of ruling Almerac. And that quest led her to Earth where Kal-El’s Kryptonian heritage caught her attention.

    A composite powerhouse with a wide array of super powers, Maxima first appeared in an antagonistic role before transitioning into an ally of Superman and, eventually, a member of the Justice League. Her appearance in the film might indicate Gunn has adapted the 1992 Superman crossover event, “Panic in the Sky,” that featured Maxima teaming up with Brainiac.

    In an effort to destroy Earth, Brainiac used his telepathic abilities to enslave several cosmic heavy hitters into his army, including Maxima. Once she eventually broke free of his control, Maxima turned on Brainiac, lobotomizing him, and turned the tide of the battle in favor of Earth’s heroes.

    While it’s unlikely Gunn would directly adapt the event, it certainly does sound like the type of story he could draw from in an effort to bring Lex Luthor and Superman together in Man of Tomorrow.

  • Upcoming DC Project Set to Include the Debut of the Justice League’s Greatest Villain…and a Mystery Actor Has Already Been Cast in the Role

    Upcoming DC Project Set to Include the Debut of the Justice League’s Greatest Villain…and a Mystery Actor Has Already Been Cast in the Role

    It’s official. DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn confirmed that the upcoming animated series, Mister Miracle, which will introduce Scott Free and the mythology of The New Gods, will be set within the shared narrative of the all-new DCU.

    The animated adventure was written by Tom King as an adaptation of his own award-winning 12-issue Mister Miracle comic book and seemed to have quickly come together under the radar. In September, Nexus Point News reported that casting for the project was underway and that it was indeed set to include Jack Kirby’s Fourth World characters such as Funky Flashman, Highfather, Lightray and Orion and, most interestingly, the tyrannical ruler of Apokolips, Darkseid.

    Since then, the series hasn’t often been in the headlines but an update from King has changed that. In a new interview, King revealed that episodes of the series are already being edited and that the studio has already cast actors in many key roles.

    “It is a DCU show. That has huge implications for our show and the DCU at large, obviously,” said King, quoting Gunn’s revelation that Mister Miracle was set within the new continuity.

    “The big announcement like who the cast and where everything that hasn’t come yet and it’s going to come and I can’t wait to do it,” King revealed. “We got to cast Darkseid. We got to cast Orion. Obviously Scott and Barda were the big ones.”

    The “huge implications” King mentioned might include the possibility that the yet-to-be-revealed voice talent cast in the aforementioned roles will also portray the characters in live-action. Gunn has stated that in most cases, the voice actors behind animated characters will also play the live-action versions of the characters, as was the case with Frank Grillo, who played Rick Flag Sr in Creature Commandos, Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. Should that be the case with Mister Miracle, it would mean that an actor has been the Justice League’s greatest villain and that Darkseid is…

  • Silver Age Superman Analogue Reportedly Set to Star in ‘Creature Commandos’ Season 2

    Silver Age Superman Analogue Reportedly Set to Star in ‘Creature Commandos’ Season 2

    DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn has shown an affinity for characters who originated in long-defunct Charlton Comics. In 1983, DC Comics acquired Charlton’s “Action Heroes” which included Judomaster and Peacemaker, both of whom are firmly established in the all-new DCU. Gunn has made it clear that other Charlton Comics Action Heroes would pop up in the DCU as well and now, thanks to a new report, we know the identify of the next one to make the leap.

    According to Nexus Point News, 1950s heavy hitter Captain Atom will appear in the second season of the animated series, Creature Commandos.

    Co-created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko in 1960, Captain Atom was the central character in Charlton’s Action Hero line. The character was redesigned, reimagined and renamed over the years and according to NPN, the modern version of the character, Nathaniel Adam–who may be familiar to audiences because of his appearances in the animated series Justice League Unlimited–will be the one to appear in Creature Commandos. Following an experiment, Adam’s skin becomes coated in an alien metal known as Dilustel and becomes connected to the Quantum Field, granting him incredible powers on the level of Superman. His similarities to Superman led to DC working to rework the character after acquiring him in the 80s.

    The first season premiered of Creature Commandos premiered in December 2024 and was a frenzied and brilliant opening act for the all-new DC Universe. Set two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, the series introduced Task Force M, a team of monstrous outcasts led by Frank Grillo‘s Rick Flag Sr. Season 2 which will see some new members join the team is in production now with an unknown release date.

    Source: Nexus Point News

  • James Gunn Explains His Wide-Ranging Inspiration for the DCU’s Brainiac

    James Gunn Explains His Wide-Ranging Inspiration for the DCU’s Brainiac

    After months of speculation about who the villain of Man of Tomorrow would be, director James Gunn confirmed the widespread belief that classic Superman supervillain Brainiac was indeed set to antagonize Kal-El and Lex Luthor.

    Gunn also revealed that German actor Lars Eldinger had landed the role after a “worldwide search” for the right talent to bring the Coluan Collector of Worlds to life, explaining only that his audition separated him from the pack and convinced DC Studios that he was the right man for the job. Following the news, Gunn took to social media to explain what inspiration drove the creation of the DCU’s version of Brainiac.

    I love aspects of many versions of the characters, from the 1950’s Binder stuff to the surprisingly scary Wolfman stuff to the animated versions and up through the truly creepy and wonderful, current Absolute Brainiac.

    -James Gunn

    Otto Binder‘s original version of Brainiac debuted in 1958’s Action Comics #242 and established the core elements of the character that remain iconic today, including his “12th-level intellect.” Co-created with artist Al Plastino, this version was a product of the Silver Age of comics–which inspired Gunn‘s decisions on Superman–characterized by high-concept science fiction and “B-movie” alien aesthetics.

    Binder‘s most significant contribution to the Superman mythos via Brainiac was the introduction of Kandor, the capital city of Krypton. While infiltrating Brainiac’s ship to save Metropolis, Superman discovered a bottle containing Kandor, revealing that Brainiac had visited Krypton before its destruction, creating a deep personal link between the villain and Superman’s lost heritage.

    Marv Wolfman’s version of Brainiac– introduced in 1983 for the 45th anniversary of Action Comics (#544)–is widely considered the most terrifying and radical redesign of the character in the Pre-Crisis era. Wolfman transformed the character into a cold, cosmic horror: a living machine driven by pure logic and a nihilistic need to destroy.

    For Superman: The Animated Series, Brainiac was reimagined as Krypton’s planetary AI/supercomputer. After betraying Jor-El, Brainiac downloaded his consciousness into a satellite and spent decades travelling the galaxy gathering knowledge from the computers of other civilizations before destroying them. This iconic version of the character–complete with the “three dot” symbol–returned for Justice League and Justice League Unlimited and is likely the iteration of the character with whom the core audience of Man of Tomorrow would find recognizable.

    In DC’s recent Absolute Universe, writer Jason Aaron has reimagined the Coluan as a sadist, williing to torture and experiment on his enemies–or even his own clones. The recent version also looks to employ psychological tactics that are more calculated cruelty than logic, removing him from his roots by an exponential margin.

  • James Gunn Confirms ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Villain, Announces German Actor Landed the Role

    James Gunn Confirms ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Villain, Announces German Actor Landed the Role

    After a month of rumors in which Claes Bang, Matt Smith and Dave Bautista were all alleged front runners for the role of Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn–who recently took to social media to shoot down those rumors–announced the actor who will bring the antagonist to the screen.

    In our worldwide search for Brainiac in Man of Tomorrow, Lars Eidinger rose to the top. Welcome to the DCU, Lars.

    -James Gunn

    Man of Tomorrow is “a story about Lex Luthor and Superman having to work together to a certain degree against a much, much bigger threat.“ After months of playing coy, Gunn has finally confirmed that Brainiac will be that threat.

    In the comics, Brainiac’s primary motivation is generally a cold, unquenchable thirst for absolute knowledge and self-improvement—which involves collecting and destroying civilizations; however, modern writers have created a more sadistic version of the character, will to torture and experiment on his enemies–or even his own clones in the Absolute Universe–and employ psychological tactics that are more calculated cruelty than logic.

    Gunn previously revealed that the villain “was considered” for Superman and with Supergirl hitting theaters in 2026, it wouldn’t take much to give some background to Brainiac’s fascination with Kryptonions and reveal that he visited Krypton before it was destroyed and shrunk and stole the capital city of Kandor.

  • James Gunn Shoots Down Major ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Report

    James Gunn Shoots Down Major ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Casting Report

    For some time now, James Gunn‘s social media presence can be interpreted as a barometer for the DC Studios’ rumor mill. Gunn’s responses to rumors and reports often create a clearer picture of what fans can expect from upcoming projects and, interestingly enough, what he doesn’t respond to is equally interesting.

    For example, when recent reports seemed to indicate that Wonder Woman might make her all-new, all-different DCU debut in Gunn‘s next film, Man of Tomorrow, the DC Studios’ co-chair remained tight-lipped, even as the buzz intensified. Does that mean Diana will join the battle against Brainiac in the Superman sequel? Or is Brainiac even in the film?

    While Gunn has yet to confirm that the Coluan Collector of Worlds will indeed be the villain of Man of Tomorrow, recent trade reports have indicated that Brainiac will be the catalyst behind Kal-El’s team up with Lex Luthor. Following those reports, rumblings about casting for the role have begun to pop up, with Claes Bang and Matt Smith reportedly among those up for the role. More recently, Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista was mentioned as a favorite to ultimately portray Brainiac but it seems as though that’s not going to be the case.

    Shortly after Bautista’s name was thrown out by Jeff Sneider as a to contender for the sadistic supervillain, Gunn took to Threads to shoot down the report.

    Oh boy. Let’s forget a moment, I’ve never said Brainiac was in the movie. I freaking love [Dave Bautista] [and] I have many ideas for who he could play in the DCU. But he [and] I have never discussed a role in Man of Tomorrow, nor have we discussed it amongst ourselves at DC.

    -James Gunn

    Gunn‘s statement left little room for interpretation, directly addressing the actor and the role. Bautista may not have been the best fit for the role anyway but Gunn went on to explain that none of the “6-7” other names associated for the role have been screentested or offered a part in Man of Tomorrow.

  • ‘Supergirl’ Trailer Description Teases Intergalactic Action

    DC Studios held a “launch event” in New York City to unveil the first teaser trailer for Supergirl ahead of its release sometime this week. The film’s star, Milly Alcock, was joined by director Craig Gillespie and studio co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

    As expected from such an event, a description of the teaser quickly made its way online and while it sounds as though the new film will have comedic beats, it also seems to be very much a “road trip” film in which Kara Zor-El will come to terms with her past traumas.

    The description below comes via social media scooper My Time To Shine Hello. The teaser will be released online this week, though no date has been confirmed by DC Studios at this time.

    The trailer opens with Krypto peeing on a newspaper with Superman on the cover.

    Kara wakes up hungover, and we then see her boarding a space bus.

    She’s shown celebrating her 23rd birthday alone at a bar, really emphasizing her isolation.

    The trailer then moves into a montage of her and Ruthye traveling across the galaxy to different locations.

    Krem appears briefly in a shot. Lobo is shown walking down a hallway.

    The trailer ends with Kara in full costume, fighting enemies aboard a massive space battleship.

  • Talented Trio Tops Reported Shortlist to Tackle Techno-Organic Terror in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    Talented Trio Tops Reported Shortlist to Tackle Techno-Organic Terror in ‘Man of Tomorrow’

    After months of speculation and teasing, confirmation finally came down the pipe that the sadistic supervillain Brainiac would indeed make his theatrical debut in the Superman not-really-but-also-kind-of-sequel Man of Tomorrow.

    The Coluan Collector of Worlds will serve as the “bigger threat” that catalyzes the team up between David Corenswet‘s Kal-El and Nicholas Hoult‘s Lex Luthor, which director James Gunn has described as a “complicated” scenario.

    With principal photography on Man of Tomorrow set to get underway in April, casting for the film has begun, including the search for an actress to play a character believed to be Wonder Woman and an actor willing to disappear behind prosthetics to bring Brainiac to life. In mid-November, Dracula star Claes Bang reportedly read for the role and now, a follow-up report claims that a pair of actors have joined Bang on the shortlist to land the role of Brainiac.

    According to Nexus Point News, Doctor Who star Matt Smith and Academy Award-Winning actor Sam Rockwell have joined Bang on the shortlist to play the supervillain.

    The report makes it clear that no offers have been made at this point and that ultimately, a cash-conscious approach by parent studio Warner Bros. may constrain Gunn‘s casting reach.

    Man of Tomorrow will hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

    Source: NPN