Today, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe finally changed. Probably. Maybe? At the very least, after months of anticipation as to what new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran would do with the house that Superman built, we finally know the answer. And the answer is: a bunch of movies and TV shows that, for the most part, are undated, not clearly connected, don’t have creative teams attached, no actors cast, and at least three contradictory continuities that could include upwards of three Batmans.
When Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav said they wouldn’t have four Batmans going forward, he wasn’t kidding! Maximum three!
In all seriousness, some of these plans — heck, a lot of them — are exciting for lifelong DC Comics fans. A movie based on The Authority, one of the biggest, most bombastic comics ever published? Batman and Robin, introducing Batman’s jerk son Damian Wayne into live action? Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, based on the phenomenal comic book series by Tom King and Bilquis Evely? All this sounds fantastic, and on their own are great ideas for movies.
On the TV end, who wouldn’t want a Waller series starring Viola Davis, one of the few perfect castings from the previous iteration of the DC movies and TV shows? Booster Gold, a smarmy dude from the future who uses advance tech to pose as a superhero? Also a great idea for a TV show. A True Detective series about Green Lanterns who investigate a mystery on Earth, when usually those characters are flying around in space? Uhhh… Get back to me about that one.
But what Gunn presented today were just that: ideas. There are a duo of projects that have specifics behind them: Waller, from Watchmen writer Christal Henry and Doom Patrol EP Jeremy Carver and starring Davis; Superman: Legacy, a movie officially kicking off the new DCU, dated for July 11, 2025 and currently being written by Gunn. In addition, there’s an animated series that will be the first project out of the gate, written by Gunn, titled Creature Commandos. Otherwise, nobody (publicly, at least) is attached, despite Gunn promising that actors cast in live action films will also appear in TV shows and animated projects, and vice versa. No mention, also, was made of video games, despite Gunn previously noting that this new DC plan will span nearly every medium the company touches. (There was also no mention of comics, but when have the comics been important to superhero movies and TV shows, other than as mineable IP?)
There’s a bigger problem than lack of talent involved, and it’s that Gunn and company are not wiping the slate clean. Legacy projects will continue, albeit under the comics inspired banner of “DC Elseworlds.” These projects will take place in other universes, and include other casts than the “main” continuity. Shazam: Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, and the much-delayed The Flash movie will all be released, and may or may not connect with the new DCU. Gunn isn’t ruling out the possibility that Ezra Miller might continue their crime spree in the new DC movies and TV shows, while rumors that Jason Momoa will be ditching the swimsuit for another DC role are at the current point TBD. And Gunn, who weathered his own social media scandal, all but deflected questions from press about Shazam star Zachari Levi seemingly coming out as an anti-vaxxer on Twitter, assuring his return to the sort-of kid-friendly franchise. Robert Pattinson will continue into The Batman Part II, all while Gunn is developing a separate Batman in The Brave and the Bold. And though he isn’t Batman yet, there is a young Bruce Wayne in the universe of The Joker, which will see it’s own “Elseworlds” musical sequel starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
So again, three Batmans. Movies that may or may not connect. A label (that would be “DC Elseworlds”) that really doesn’t matter to the general viewing public who is still wondering why Batman isn’t in the latest Avengers movie, and only means anything to comic book nerds. No dates, no casts, no creative teams, TV shows that thus far do not seem to connect to the movies and vice versa… This is exactly where we were before James Gunn’s big announcement today, and now we’re at the same place — albeit with a lot more titles announced.
It’s also a place we’ve been at multiple times before with the DC universe, as Warner Bros. regime after Warner Bros. regime has sworn they would really crack the whole DC thing this time. And every time, they announce multiple projects. And every time, they halt at least halfway through when they realize whatever they’re releasing is not hitting critically or financially the same way as what Disney is doing with Marvel. In fact, the only successfully executed DC long-form story has been The CW’s Arrow-verse, which has lasted for over a decade and over hundreds of episodes, with multiple interconnected TV shows, different universes, animated spinoffs, tie-in comic books, and more.
So what did Gunn do with Greg Berlanti, the guy who was behind literally the only successful take on the DC Universe so far? Canceled his long in development Green Lantern series, which was announced about the time HBO Max was launched, and replaced it with a new Green Lantern show not including Berlanti.
To be clear, Gunn was up front that this is not the entire plan for DC, just a taste of what’s to come. And you wouldn’t expect him to give away the farm on that first volley. But to borrow a popular Watchmen meme, it is 2013 and I am watching DC announce a bold new take on their cinematic universe. It is 2019 and I am watching DC announce a bold new take on their cinematic universe. It is 2023 and– You get the gist. All this has happened before and all of it will happen again.
This has even happened multiple times over multiple studios. Everyone is always trying to crack the Marvel formula, figure out why that franchise is 25+ movies and over a decade strong. But whether you’re a Dark Universe (remember Universal’s all-star monster movies that never got past Tom Cruise’s The Mummy?) or Fast & The Furious (they probably won’t be presenting Hobbs & Shaw a second time), the key thing everyone forgets is that Marvel released Iron Man, and off the success of that announced Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers. But A) immediately after Iron Man they released The Incredible Hulk, which mostly tanked, and B) they waited until Iron Man was a success to even hint at more movies. They also could have failed at any point, and to Kevin Feige, boss of Marvel’s, credit, they played the game like they could, indeed, fail. The secret success of Marvel? They could have plummeted at any point. It’s only when they started acting like winners post-Avengers: Endgame that the wheels started to wobble; but that’s another story.
Back to DC: the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Or rather, the execution of this ambitious plan. Gunn can show off some comic book art, and he is clearly a man who is passionate about working with great artists, writers, and actors; good people who want to make good things. He loves DC as a property, and a lot of this seems like a lot of fun. But like always, there’s a time where art meets commerce, and Warner Bros. Discovery is running pretty tight to that clock. The company has been selling off assets like it’s a going out of business sale, and if you think that they won’t ditch Gunn and his plan the second Superman: Legacy comes in softer at the box office than expected, you haven’t been paying attention to the entire history of Hollywood.
Look, this is early going. Perhaps too early, given the amount of pressure Gunn, Safran and WBD were under to deliver some sort of info to the fans. Gunn is open about them changing, morphing and things getting added and subtracted from the schedule over time — that sort of flexibility is something he’s clearly learned from a lifetime working in low budget horror and sci-fi, before moving to Marvel’s scrappiest franchise, Guardians of the Galaxy. Gunn, artistically, has the tools to succeed. But right now, what we viewers have before us is a bunch of stuff. Some movie ideas. Some TV ideas. Nothing really concrete. And that’s also what we had before noon today. For better or worse, we won’t really have an idea how successful this announcement will be for at least another few years, once we’re past those legacy projects and into the new DCU proper. But by that point, will anyone care? Or will Warner Bros. Discovery be bought out by Meta, and the entire project rebooted by Mark Zuckerberg?
Regardless of what happens in the far-flung future of 2025, as of right now James Gunn has announced a lot of exciting plans, and so far, fixed nothing about the DC Universe. That’s the sort of problem it’ll take at least three Batmans to fix. At least until the reboot the universe. Again.