Even as James Gunn and Peter Safran set out to build the DCU, the DC Studios’ co-chairs have made it clear that creatives will have freedom to tell stories through different mediums, genres and aesthetics. And so while Gunn’sSuperman looks to be a bright, pulpy take on the Man of Steel, it takes place in the same continuity as Mike Flannigan‘s body horror flick, Clayface, and James Mangold‘s Swamp Thing, described as a “simple gothic horror movie.”
The idea is, of course, in line with the long publishing history of DC Comics and should have a similar impact at DC Studios in that it will allow for original ideas to evolve into (hopefully) great superhero stories. One of the earliest test cases for the premise may well be Lanterns, a streaming series that continues to sound a lot like an HBO prestige series. And if one cast member is to be believed, fans may not quite be ready for what DC Studios is about to do with Hal Jordan and John Stewart’s “terrestrial-based investigation story.”
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…
-James Gunn
In an interview with Collider, Poorna Jagannathan, who was cast in a supporting role in Lanterns, described it as “the best sci-fi script I’ve ever read.”
“This is the first script that I’ve read that I understand why there’s an NDA,” explained Jagannathan. “Everything is so insane. It is the best writing that I have ever read.” 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 who will be working as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”
“I don’t know anything about sci-fi, and I don’t care, actually,” continued Jagannathan. “But this script makes sci-fi seem like my world. It makes it so accessible to me. I understand everything about this world even though I don’t understand this world.”
The series, with an impressive cast led by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, had already begun to generate some buzz online and Jagannathan’s comments won’t do anything to temper expectations. With cameras set to roll this week, it may only be a matter of time before DC Studios gives fans a first look at Lanterns which is expected to stream in mid-2026.
First introduced in ABC’s Challenge of the Superfriends in 1978, the Legion of Doom has since appeared across multiple mediums and become a staple of supervillainy for DC. Originally assembled by Lex Luthor, the Legion consisted of 13 baddies from the rogues galleries of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern.
Over the years, different iterations of the team have added and subtracted members and grown the roster beyond the original 13. In any case, the group represents a sinister and serious threat to heroes of the DC Universe. And while it may be years down the road, there’s some chance that the all-new DCU might bring the characters together on the big screen for the first time.
With Nicholas Hoult already on board as Lex Luthor in Superman, a second key member of the Legion of Doom is now confirmed to be on the way as well. According to a trade report, Banshee and The Blacklist star Ulrich Thomsen has joined Lanterns as Sinestro.
In Lanterns, it seems Thomsen will be playing the charactsr as “a former Green Lantern who turned rogue and is described as ruthless yet undeniably charming. Sinestro’s manipulative nature drives his enduring obsession with his former mentee, Hal Jordan.” Traditionally, Sinestro has been Jordan’s mentor, making the DCU’s take a fresh one that could provide some unique narrative opportunities.
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
Lanterns will revolve around Green Lantern Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre were cast as Jordan and Stewart, respectively. 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.” Nathan Fillion‘s Guy Gardner, who will debut in Superman, is also reportedly set to play a role in the series.
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.
DC Studios’ Creature Commandos opened with two strong, action-packed episodes that introduced Task Force M and an all-new DCU rich with history and the sort of lived-in vibe that allows for other stories to exist in just about any corner. By setting stories in a universe where Eric Frankenstein has been stalking The Bride for a century, James Gunn has provided room for other character’s stories to have existed as well. And in Episode 3, “Cheers to the Tin Man”, Gunn took advantage of another long-lived character’s story to potentially set the stage for the DCU’s first super team.
Used to convey the history of G.I. Robot, the third episode of Creature Commandos introduced Doctor Will Magnus into the DCU continuity. Twenty years after the end of World War II, G. I. Robot finds himself in the possession of Magnus, a self-described AI specialist who hopes to study the robot in an effort to build the next wave of automatons. As the flashback to this time period comes to a close, Magnus is shown looking at a chalkboard that includes a set of symbols familiar to fans of DC Comics: the Metal Men.
Created in 1962 by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru, DC’s Metal Men first appeared in 1962’s Showcase #37 and have evolved and survived throughout all the publishing houses new initiatives. Named after the metals from which they were built, Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Platinum, and Tin also embodied the properties of the elements from which they were created. The team has served as heroes since the Silver Age of DC Comics and now can exist as such in the all-new DC Universe.
Though there’s been no indication from DC Studios’ co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran that a Metal Men project is in the works, one doesn’t necessarily have to be in order for the team to play a role in the DCU. While there’s no need for Magnus to have survived into the present day, his automatons could have and could show up in any number of upcoming projects.
As set photos from Superman have established, the DCU is already full of heroes who h whom the public is familiar. In a world where Hawkgirl, Metamorpho and a Guy Gardner are already active, it wouldn’t be shocking to learn that in-universe inhabitants are already familiar with the Metal Men. Of course, given their own rich comic book history, should someone present Gunn and Safran with a solid pitch, a Metal Men project could easily be used to flesh out the history of any number of years between the 1960s and 2020s. And therin lies the power of Gunn’s decree to tell stories for the sake of stories rather than for an overarching shared narrative. Given the success of Creature Commandos, an animated Metal Men streaming series would most likely be greeted warmly by fans.
The first three episodes of Creature Commandos are now streaming on Max.
While it certainly would not be fair to pigeonhole James Gunn, it is reasonable to say the DC Studios’ co-CEO finds comfort in a certain creative wheelhouse. Though the projects that make up his filmography span multiple genres, Gunn has unabashedly declared his love for superheroes and defended the prolific rise of their place in Hollywood’s pecking order against those who disdainfully regard them as unimaginative pop culture sedatives. From Scooby-Doo, to Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad, Gunn has demonstrated an adroit understanding of how to curate the interpersonal dynamics of a team of characters in a way that allows for each member to be integral to the team while also having an individual arc.
Gunn was indubitably firmly within his creative wheelhouse while crafting the DC Studios’ animated streaming series Creature Commandos and the result is a frenzied and brilliant opening act for the all-new DC Universe.
Before encumbering himself with the unbearable weight of the responsibility of introducing the next iteration of Superman to the world, Gunn chose to dive down a very particular and peculiar rabbit hole with Creature Commandos. Intended as an opportunity “for people to just take a little nibble [of the all-new DCU] and see what it tastes like,” the seven-episode animated series assuredly accomplishes its goal. To introduce a brand new interconnected universe through the lens of monstrous outcasts is quite a bold statement on Gunn‘s part made even more outlandish by delivering it via animation. However, Creature Commandos, scaffolded by Gunn’s credibility in the superhero genre, arouses such powerful feelings of pity and sympathy for the members of Task Force M that despite teasing and referencing the inceptive DCU, fans will find themselves so entirely entranced by its cast of rejects that they’ll almost certainly be asking for more adventures…for the characters that survive.
Set two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos leads off DC Studios’ lineup with gratuitous sanguination and fornication while delivering soul-crushing suffering to each member of the team. Led by sublime voice performances by Frank Grillo, Indira Varma, Zoe Chao and Alan Tudyk, the series lands firmly in the Goldilocks zone between obscene and acceptable, quite honestly giving everyone watching it what they want and everyone starring in it what they deserve…almost. There are no innocents, spare one, and somehow Gunn makes these monsters more human than human.
Screenshot
Rather than bludgeon the audience with obscenely overt cameos, Easter eggs and other references, Gunn tacitly adopted an almost Tolkien-esque approach to world-building his burgeoning DCU in Creature Commandos. Through the use of Lost-like flashbacks, each commando gets his or her own story, revealing a rich and robust world already fully developed and lived in. Outside of the members of Task Force M, plenty of other characters, such as Pokolistan’s Alexi, might make for interesting main characters in their own stories. References to larger lore are subtly sprinkled into the story, allowing the audience to understand that Batman has been active for at least 15 years, there are some strange goings on in Themyscira and there are plenty of other key locations and characters that could be explored down the road, though those stories could be set in the past, present or future of the DCU.
While concerns that the series would ultimately be derivative of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad are understandable and not entirely unfounded, Creature Commandos stands firmly apart from his other works. To boot, Creature Commandos may be Gunn‘s most mature and evolved creation to date; it’s comedic and tragic and bolder than anything Gunn has done. While fans may be holding out hope for the return of Harley Quinn, they may find that Gunn, who has continued to strengthen the female leads in his projects, has crafted his most complete and compelling female yet in The Bride. In fact, the character may be a metaphor for the tumultuous road Gunn‘s career has traveled. If Gunn, as the overseer of the all-new DCU, can continue to curate stories that convey the same passion, maturity and appreciation for the source material as Creature Commandos, the auspicious start that it provides for the DCU will certainly grow into something deserving of the incredible and lasting influence of DC Comics.
About Creature Commandos
Creature Commandos, produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.
The seven-episode series stars Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.
Creature Commandos is written and executive-produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation; additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.
The first two episodes of Creature Commandos will debut Max on December 5th with new episodes streaming every Thursday through January 9th.
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.
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.
Fans are about to get their first look at the all-new DCU when the seven-episode animated series Creature Commandos debuts on Max in December 5th. Written by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, the series “tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans” and will introduce the world to a shared universe already populated with heroes and villains.
Announced by Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran as part of the initial DC Studios’ slate reveal in January 2023, Creature Commandos kept pace during production to meet its intended target date as the DCU’s first project. Superman, starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, was always meant to follow Creature Commandos and is on track to do so. However, following that, the release order of the rest of the slate was always a bit murky, though it has started to take shape over the past several months.
As always, Gunn has been active in social media and shared updates on the work taking place behind the scenes to get the DCU up and running. As part of those updates, the co-chair revealed that some projects that were part of the original slate reveal are taking longer to develop while others that were not announced are moving ahead. Now, in an interview with IGN, Gunn laid out exactly what fans can expect over the next two years, including the first hint at when Lanterns will hit HBO.
“It’s really Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker, Lanterns, Supergirl,” said Gunn. “And then some things people don’t know,” he teased. Asked to clarify if Lanterns would stream ahead of the June 26, 2026 release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Gunn replied “we’ll see when it comes out, but they’re around the same time.” Spring/Summer 2026 it is!
December 5, 2024-Creature Commandos (streaming on Max)
July 11, 2025-Superman (in theaters)
August 2025-Peacemaker, Season 2 (streaming on Max)
Spring/Summer 2026-Lanterns (streaming on Max)
June 26, 2026-Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (in theaters)
With Gunn providing a glimpse of what to expect over the next two years, it may be a while before fans learn the identities of the unknown projects he teased. With no updates on announced projects such The Brave and The Bold, The Authority, Booster Gold and more, it’s clear that expectations should be for only a couple of DC Studios’ releases per year for the foreseeable future.
In less than two months, DC Studios’ all-new, all-different DCU will get with the debut of the canonical animated series Creature Commandos. Written by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, the project will see characters from Amanda Waller’s Non-Human Internment Division team up with Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) to run black-ops missions.
With a cast of stars including David Harbour, Maria Bakalova and Sean Gunn joining Grillo and Steve Agee, who will be reprising his role as John Economos from Peacemaker, Creature Commandos will set the tone for the DCU and, if the new trailer that debuted at NYCC 2024 is any indication, it will be a far more brutal and bloody universe than many expected. But while the trailer looked like it might give Amazon Studios’ Invincible a run for its money in terms of straight-up savagery, Gunn explained that the DCU does not have an “overall aesthetic.” “Each project out of DC Studios is going to be its own thing,” said Gunn. “It’s a connected universe, but there’s not an overall aesthetic.” So despite the gory trailer shown at NYCC, fans probably shouldn’t expect David Corenswet‘s Superman to have too much in common with Homelander.
Gunn proved to be incredibly capable of balancing the dynamics and screentime of teams with Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy; however, according to the Creature Commandos writer and producer, there’s some difference between the two team projects. “The characters aren’t all perfect,” said Gunn before adding that some characters in the series die for no reason. As for how the team comes together, Gunn explained that while that happens in Episode 1, “Lost-style” flashbacks will provide additional background on the Commandos. From there, a bromance between David Harbour‘s Frankenstein and Grillo‘s Flag was teased as well as an interesting romance brewing between Flag and Princess Ilana Rostovic, played by Bakalova.
It looks as though Creature Commandos will have a lot going for it when it streams on HBO beginning December 5th.
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.
Meet your #Lanterns. Aaron Pierre is John Stewart and Kyle Chandler is Hal Jordan in the new HBO Original Series from DC Studios coming soon to Max. pic.twitter.com/bXbU9l4Pjs
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.
Lanterns will be the first HBO original series created under the DC Studios banner that will be part of the shared narrative of the all-new, all-different DCU. Described by DC Studios’ co-chair Peter Safran as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” in the vein of HBO’s True Detective, the series will be focused on Green Lantern Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart who “find this ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are supercops on “Precinct Earth” which will play “a really big role leading us into the main story” of the studio’s initial shared narrative.
According to Kit’s report, either Rebel Ridge breakout star Aaron Pierre or Stephan James (Beacon 23 and Selma) is expected to land the role. Additionally, Kit’s sources believe that the casting could be finalized quickly with a decision being made before the end of September.
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 HBO’s Lanterns
Gunn and Safran’s DCU will debut this December with the animated streaming series Creature Commandos but, according to Gunn, kicks off in earnest when Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025. Fellow Green Lantern Corps member Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion, will appear in Superman, setting the stage for the introduction of Jordan and Stewart when Lanterns hits HBO, presumably in 2026.
DC Studios has found one half of its buddy space cop duo, having recently landed Kyle Chandler to fill the role of Hal Jordan in the HBO series, Lanterns. With Chandler on board for the “I’m too old for this shit” part of the team, the studio has now turned its attention to landing a star for the role of John Stewart ahead of an expected January 2025 start of principal photography.
Part of the process of finding an actor for the co-starring role will likely involve readthroughs that will help test for chemistry between Chandler and the potential Stewarts. And while DC Studios almost certainly cast a wide net in its search for the former Marine turned Lantern, a new rumor claims that its narrowed down the choices to an impressive short list of talent.
According to social media scooper MyTimeToShineHello, Damson Idris (FX’s Snowfall) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) sit atop the studio’s wishlist for Stewart while Ted Lasso star Toheeb Jimoh, Sope Dirisu and Kelvin Harrison Jr., who played Martin Luther King in Genius fill out its presumptive top five.
Once attached to star alongside Mahershala Ali in Marvel Studios’ woebegone Blade, Pierre recently turned heads with a breakout role in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge. Ironically enough, Pierre delivered a star-making performance as a former Marine in Rebel Ridge and now may be staring at stepping right into those shoes again as Stewart.
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