Behold The James Gunn DC Universe

Film director James Gunn, until now mainly known for Guardians of the Galaxy at Marvel, unexpectedly popped up today in a six-minute video laying out his ENTIRE plans for the DC Cinematic Universe thus far. It hasn’t been long since he and Peter Safran were plucked by WB to create a competing megafranchise to rival what Disney has with Marvel — this is of course easier said than done, as WB has actually tried this already and failed. So has everyone else.

Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023

But if anyone has a real shot at making it happen, it’s Gunn — I have yet to see a superhero project from him that isn’t a delight, whether it’s Guardians, The Suicide Squad or Peacemaker for HBO Max. In the video, Gunn said the few remaining non-Gunnverse films to come will be labeled “Elseworlds” (DC’s long-running label for non-canon stories). Through the Elseworlds label, projects like The Batman Part II will be allowed to continue. Then in 2025 everything will kick off with:

Superman Legacy: Gunn is personally writing this one. “I’m in the middle of it, I’m having a great time doing it.” We don’t know yet what will set it apart from every other take on Superman (it’s too early to know much beyond the basic pitches in this video) but the one thing we can confirm is that Henry Cavill won’t be getting a phone call — sorry, gang.

The Creature Commandos: It’s interesting the first thing Gunn mentions in the video is an animated project for television (but good on him). Probably meant for HBO Max; Gunn says he’s written all the episodes.

Waller: You’ve seen Amanda Waller already in several DC projects, INCLUDING the one Gunn directed. Get ready to see her again. It sounds like it could be a spinoff of Peacemaker; we’re hoping so.

Lanterns: Also for HBO, this series will focus on Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan, and won’t have much in the way of space hijinks — they’ll mostly be defending the Earth.

The Authority: The Wildstorm characters move into the DCU. “The Authority are a group of superheroes who think the Earth is broken and want to fix it by any means necessary.”

Paradise Lost: A TV series that takes place on Themascyra, AKA “Paradise Island,” Wonder Woman’s home turf. Gunn likens the show to Game of Thrones but it hopefully won’t be a shameless copy (also, WB owns Game of Thrones so why would you rip off yourself).

The Brave And The Bold: This will be the movie that introduces the Gunnverse version of Batman, alongside the screen debut of Damian Wayne as Robin. Gunn says Damian is his favorite Robin.

Booster Gold: Oh yeah! The arrogant superhero from the future is at last getting his own series. It’s become an ongoing joke, though, that Booster Gold is a curse: whenever he shows up in something, like Legends of Tomorrow, that thing is instantly cancelled. Perhaps this is where the Gunnverse will end. But then we wouldn’t get….

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Described as a “big sci-fi epic film,” this is described as a different Supergirl who survived on a chunk of Krypton and “is a much more jaded character” because of what she went through. We’re not so wild about the prospect of a gloomy, surly-attitude Kara. Are you?

Swamp Thing: The last movie Gunn mentions in the video. “A very dark horror story and the origins of the monster.”

Keep in mind this is all super-early and projects in Hollywood tend to change without warning. We may not see all these things come to be, and other projects could replace them. In other words, if you’re upset your favorite character isn’t a part of this vision, there’s still hope.