DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran recently gave a big update on the future of the DCU—the rebooted DC film universe that kicks off with Gunn’s Superman later this year—and confirmed that they have a six-year plan that includes a big Avengers-like movie event.
In 2023, Gunn and Safran took control over all of DC movies, TV, cartoons, and video games. After a messy run with Zack Snyder, the new plan was to reboot the DC film franchise, connect the shows and movies to it, and give creators more freedom to make varied projects in different genres. And the two said that the goal is to create a universe that feels interconnected, but with films that still feel separate and standalone.
As covered by The Hollywood Reporter, who attended the recent DC Studios press event, Gunn doesn’t want people to feel like they need to do homework and watch a bunch of past content before they see the next big DC show or film.
“We remain steadfast that each of these projects work as a standalone project,” said Gunn. “So you can see Superman, you can watch Lanterns, without having to see both of them. Although if you can, there will be special things in there for people who have seen both.”
And this is all part of a larger six-year plan, which the duo confirmed will culminate in an Avengers: Endgame-like crossover movie. Neither exec had any more details to share about this big movie, which is not likely to hit theaters until 2030, but Gunn has experience producing these kinds of superhero event films, having served as an executive producer on Marvel and Disney’s Endgame in 2019.
To reach the point where such a project is viable in the new DC universe, Gunn and Safran laid out a plan that calls for a lot of content. According to the DC Studio bosses, the company will produce two-live action movies, two live-action shows, and two animated shows every year, some of which will be created exclusively for WB Discovery’s Max.
It’s an ambitious plan and I worry that it might be too much, too fast, but Gunn and Safran are committed to making sure every movie has a solid script before production begins. Likewise, they admitted they are flexible and will change the plan as needed.
For example, in 2023, they had no intentions of making a movie about Batman villain Clayface. But then Mike Flanagan, the filmmaker behind works such as Doctor Sleep and Midnight Mass, pitched them one and wrote a script they both loved and it got greenlit. Of course, I’ve not seen Clayface, but it at least sounds like Gunn isn’t too worried about changing plans or fiddling with canon if it means getting a cool movie. That might be the key to defeating superhero fatigue and competing with Marvel’s massive MCU.
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