James Gunn, the Co-CEO of DC Studios, took to Twitter this week to announce future plans for the DC Universe and Elseworlds. Gunn acknowledged the disconnected film and television universe, sharing, “Our jobs, mine and Peter [Safran]’s, is to come in and make sure the DCU is connected in film, television, gaming, and animation. That the characters are consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within one story. And if something is outside of that, like Matt Reeves’ The Batman or Todd Phillips’ Joker or Teen Titans Go!, that it is clearly labeled as DC Elseworlds, outside of the mainstream DCU continuity.”
The DC Studios slate begins with four projects inherited by Gunn and Safran, all set for a 2023 release–Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Gunn stated that Shazam has “always been off kind of in his own part of the DCU,” and that the film works well to connect directly into The Flash, which Gunn called, “A fantastic movie that I really love. That resets the entire DC Universe.” Following The Flash, comes the second summer DC title Blue Beetle, about comic book character Jaime Reyes. In the comics, Reyes lives in El Paso, Texas and gains powers from a mystical Scarab that falls to earth. December’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom then leads directly into the next few DC projects, including an animated series called Creature Commandos. Gunn stated, “Something we’re going to do that’s a little bit different at DC, is we’re going to have characters move into animation, out of animation, usually having the same actor play their voice, as who plays them in live action.”
The biggest announcements included the major theatrical releases Superman: Legacy, The Authority, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and two independent Batman titles, The Brave and the Bold and The Batman Part II (the sequel to 2022’s The Batman). Gunn shared that, “The true beginning of the DCU, this is called Superman: Legacy. This is being written by me. I’m in the middle of it, I’m having a great time doing it. And [Superman: Legacy] will be released into theaters July 11th, 2025.” Following the re-introduction of the DCU’s Superman, comes The Authority, based on DC’s Wildstorm characters. They are a group of superheroes looking to fix a broken world by any means necessary. That film will be followed by the re-introduction of the DCU Batman in The Brave and the Bold, based on the Grant Morrison comic book series, a father/son story in which Robin is Damian Wayne, the son of Batman.
Tom King’s comic book run of Super Girl: Woman of Tomorrow will be adapted into a theatrical science fiction epic. The story follows Superman’s cousin, a jaded character who was raised on Krypton and has watched everyone around her perish. Gunn also mentioned Swamp Thing, describing the film as a very dark horror story that delves into the origins of the monster.
Gunn concluded by sharing, “I’ve loved the DC characters since I was a child. They’re incredibly important to me. I knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something very different. One of the things that’s very important for me in all of these movies and TV series, is that, the director’s vision and the vision of the writers and all of the creators is unique and something special. Storytelling is always king. That’s all that matters to us. And I want to be true to those stories. I want to be true to you guys, and really give you something different than you’ve ever seen before.”
DC Universe Theatrical Release Slate
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17th, 2023)
The Flash (June 16th, 2023)
Blue Beetle (August 18th, 2023)
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 25th, 2023)
Superman: Legacy (July 11th, 2025)
The Authority (TBD)
The Brave and the Bold (TBD)
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (TBD)
Swamp Thing (TBD)
DC Elseworlds Theatrical Release Slate
Joker: Folie à Deux (October 4th, 2024)
The Batman Part II (October 3rd, 2025)
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