James Gunn’s DCU movie lineup will be revealed today β here’s what to expect
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It’s almost time to learn about the new DC Cinematic Universe (DCU).
Three months after James Gunn and Peter Safran were named co-heads of DC Studios, the duo will reveal their 10-year plan for Warner Bros.’ rebooted DC Extended Universe (DCEU) later today (Jan. 30). to reveal.
And, honestly, they cut it just fine. Gunn has consistently stated that he’d be sharing the first official details on the DCU’s new blueprint before the end of January 2023 – so with one day left before February rolls around, the pair are definitely pushing it.
Finally, however, DC fans will learn more about Gunn and Safran’s DCU master plan. Selected members of the press were invited yesterday for a private presentation on the DCU revival. By industry insider Grace Randolph (opens in new tab)those plans will reportedly be made public on Tuesday, January 31 at 9am PT / 2pm ET / 5pm GMT (that’s 3am AEST on Wednesday, February 1 for Australian readers).
So, what can we expect when the DCU’s new lineup is revealed? Here are six things to watch out for ahead of the big announcement.
1. Superman returns
One project we’re sure to hear about is a new Superman movie. December 2022, Gunn confirmed the next Superman movie (opens in new tab) would “focus on an earlier part” in Clark Kent’s life. However, it won’t be a traditional origin story.
Unfortunately, this means that Henry Cavill won’t be back as Superman. Cavill played the legendary Kryptonian in three DCEU movies – find out which ones in our DCEU movies in the order guide – and made a cameo in 2022’s Black Adamwhich turned out to be his last appearance as Kal-El.
2. Matt Reeves’ Bat-Verse Stands Alone
Ever since Gunn and Safran were hired, DC fans have wondered (and in some cases worried about) the future of Matt Reeves’ Bat-Verse.
The batterwhich arrived in March 2022, garnered critical acclaim for tackling the neo-noir detective aspect of the iconic Caped Crusader (read our review of The batter for more on what we thought). A sequel and two HBO Max spin-offs β a series starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin and a TV show set in Arkham Asylum β have since been green-lit.
With Reeves’ Bat-Verse prior to Gunn and Safran’s hiring, many expected it to be collapsed into the new cinematic universe. However, Reeves told Collider (opens in new tab) that his Bat-Verse will remain independent of the duo’s 10-year plan for the DCU. Todd Phillips’ Joker movie franchise, whose sequels β Joker: Folie a Deux β arriving in October 2024, also expected to remain as a standalone entity.
Shall we learn more about The Batman2, or some details on those HBO Max offshoots as part of today’s announcement? We cross our bat wings, we will.
3. Disappeared in a flash?
Gunn and Safran’s DCU reboot has bigger problems to solve than Reeves’ Bat-Verse.
For example, what do they do with the DCEU films that have yet to be released in theaters? Shazam! Anger of the gods, Blue beetle, The flashand Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are all slated to hit theaters before 2023 is over. Will any of these characters be included in the new DCU?
Some will and some won’t. December 2022, Shazam! Anger of the gods director David Sandberg was snapped wearing a hoodie with the new DC Studios logo (opens in new tab) am working on it. That has led fans to believe that Shazam‘s film series will carry over (while you’re here read our Shazam! Anger of the gods breakdown trailer).
In the meantime, Aquarius star Jason Momoa alluded to the ocean-dwelling superhero also appearing in the DCU (per OneTakeNews (opens in new tab)). It is unclear what the future holds Blue beetlebut once the Mexican superhero’s solo movie is released in August.
As regards The flash, the super speedester’s future is also undetermined. It’s unlikely that Gunn and Safran will continue with Ezra Miller’s iteration of the character given the criminal charges filed against the actor over the past 12 months. It’s likely that The Flash’s time travel and multiversal plot details will be a major part of the DCEU’s transition into Gunn and Safran’s rebooted universe. However, we’d be very surprised if the duo retain Miller’s services as part of their DCU.
4. Don’t wonder anymore
The fate of the above characters is yet to be confirmed – hopefully we’ll get some details on them later today – but a superhero who won’t be part of the proceedings is Wonderwoman.
In December 2022, Patty Jenkins – director on Wonderwoman‘s two DCEU movies – confirmed that Wonder Woman 3 did not advance at DC Studios (opens in new tab). Putting two and two together, it looks like Gal Gadot (who had played Diana Prince in four DCEU movies) won’t be returning as the super-powered Amazon in the new DCU either.
Of course, we could be surprised by Gunn and Safran – more on other possible surprises later – with a reboot Wonderwoman movie series. Our opinion? Don’t expect Diana Prince to be part of their original 10-year plan.
5. TV program connections
DC Studios isn’t just about movies. In addition to those Bat-Verse TV spinoffs, we can expect more on the company’s broader TV slate.
As part of our exclusive report on The dark knight trilogy still on HBO Max, we covered the news about it Titans and Doom patrol β two HBO Max staples β would end after their fourth season. Neither show will then be part of the DCU.
However, there are other series in development that should be part of Gunn and Safran’s master plan. Peacekeeper Season 2, which was announced in January 2022, is definitely coming. Detectives of dead boysa spin off of Doom patrolis in development, but it’s unclear how it will sit in the wider DCU, if at all.
Meanwhile, Gunn has confirmed that the DCU’s roster of movies and TV shows – live-action and animated – will be interconnected (opens in new tab). Fan-favorite series, such as Harley Quinn‘s R-rated animated show, could be merged with Gunn and Safran’s DCU. Other properties owned by DC, such as those under development Green Lantern Corps TV show, plus the second season of The Sandman, can also be folded into the revived DCEU. However, since the latter is distributed on Netflix, the potential addition to the DCU could make things messy from a licensing and contractual perspective.
6. Surprises galore
All of the above sounds compelling, but we also expect Gunn and Safran to make some shocking announcements as part of DCU Chapter One.
We already know that Constantine 2 (starring Keanu Reeves) is in the early stages of creation. One developed by Ta-Nehisi Coates Superman project, which is independent of Gunn’s fledgling Superman movie, is also in development. We would like to get some more information about these projects, such as their directors, plot overviews or further casting news.
However, there are many fascinating characters in DC Comics that could be ripe for live-action and/or animated adaptations. For starters, after polling on Mastodon, Gunn revealed that Booster Gold (opens in new tab) was the superhero fans most wanted to see on big or small screens.
Elsewhere, the industry is leaking ViewerAnon (opens in new tab) posted two hints about upcoming DCU projects – one that a Batman and Robin project. Other teases posted by Superman on film (opens in new tab) and Stephen Colbert (opens in new tab) suggest we learn about movies and shows no one expected, one of which is said to be a “big menacing DC movie” that somehow didn’t leak online before the reveal. Color us intrigued.
Finally, Randolph has claimed that the new DCU is nothing like Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut. Randolph compared it to the mythological tone of Jack Snyder’s DC movies, such as Justice Leaguewhich may not sound like music to everyone’s ears.
Still, we’re excited to find out what’s in store for the DCU’s next decade. DCEU from Warner Bros. has been adrift for quite some time now, and if it really wants to rival Marvel on the global stage, it needs an exciting lineup of huge movies and big swing TV series. To you, Gunn and Safran.
For more DC coverage, read how to get the Batman movies okay. Or see which DC movies made it onto our best superhero movies list, or the movies and TV shows that make up our best HBO Max movies and best HBO Max shows guide.