James Gunn and Peter Safran, the new bosses at DC Studios, have finally revealed what they have got lined up for audiences as a new DC Universe (DCU) begins.
Revealing the first chapter of their plans, the slate includes a Batman film not starring Robert Pattinson, a new Superman movie, a Green Lantern TV show, a Wonder Woman prequel series, and more obscure titles.
Although plans may shift, here’s the initial slate for what is being billed as Chapter 1: God And Monsters in the order the projects will hopefully release.
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Creature Commandos
Written by Gunn, this animated seven episode series puts a modern twist on the team of monsters who were originally assembled to fight Nazis.
Currently in production, a search is underway to find actors to voice both the animated characters and the live-action versions in case they pop up elsewhere in the universe.
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Waller
A spin-off series from the hit show Peacemaker, this will see Viola Davis reprise her role as the ruthless leader of a government task force.
Watchmen’s Christal Henry and Doom Patrol’s Jeremy Carver are on-board as writers.
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Superman: Legacy
Scheduled for release on 11th July 2025, Gunn is writing this Superman story which he promises will truly kick off their new DCU – he also may direct but hasn’t committed yet.
Safran described the project as “not an origin story” continuing: “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness as old-fashioned.”
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Lanterns
The TV series Greg Berlanti was developing has been scrapped in favour of a new take on the Green Lanterns, featuring Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Safran teased that the show is “in the vein of True Detective“, adding that it “plays a really big role in leading into the main story we are telling across film and TV”.
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The Authority
This film is based on a group of superheroes who prefer extreme methods when it comes to saving the world, which is putting it politely.
Gunn emphasised that the characters in his DCU will be more complex than just “good guys vs. bad guys”, whilst Safran described the team as “kinda like Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men“.
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Paradise Lost
Coming to HBO Max, this TV show takes place before the events of the Wonder Woman movies, focusing on the island of Themyscira, promising to be a drama in the style of Game Of Thrones.
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The Brave And The Bold
Batman will be introduced to the DCU via this movie, which will see a different actor taking on the role (but don’t worry R-Batz fans, there’s good news coming).
The film will also feature Gunn’s favourite Robin, Damian Wayne, who the filmmaker describes as “a little son of a bitch”.
Inspired by the comic book run penned by Grant Morrison, Batman will be introduced to a son he didn’t know existed – who is, of course, a teenager raised by assassins with a penchant for murder.
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The Batman Part II
Pattinson will return to play the Dark Knight in director Matt Reeves’ upcoming sequel to his hit 2022 movie The Batman.
This follow-up will release on 3rd October 2025.
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Booster Gold
This unique hero, who Safran describes as “a loser from the future who uses basically technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero”, is getting his own series on HBO Max.
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Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow
This film promises to be a new take on Supergirl, drawing from the recent mini-series penned by Tom King.
Described as a “more hardcore” character, this Supergirl has been seriously affected by being raised on a rock chipped off from Krypton, also witnessing everyone around her die.
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Swamp Thing
Closing out the first chapter is a horror film focusing on Swamp Thing – this is the project currently the most shrouded in secrecy.
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Before this new era of the DCU launches, there’s a crop of movies still to arrive including Shazam! Fury Of The Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom.
During his presentation, Gunn described The Flash as “probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made”, whilst confirming that the four leads of these films may continue playing their roles going forward into the new chapter.
And yes, this does include Flash actor Ezra Miller who has been at the centre of several recent criminal investigations.
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It was also confirmed that whilst Safran and Gunn are working on a singular DC Universe, there will be other projects that stand apart including Reeves’ Batman projects and the upcoming sequel to Todd Phillips’ hit film Joker.
These will all fall under a banner titled ‘DC Elseworlds’ which will also be home to cartoon series Teen Titans Go and the Black Superman project being penned by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which remains in active development.
