The trades are continuing their dissection of James Gunn's DCU, with The Wrap weighing in with another report about the state of DC Studios.
The piece suggests that Gunn and Peter Safran's "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate is "almost certainly out," news which doesn't come as a huge surprise. However, when it comes to Lanterns Season 2, "a decision about a second season [is] due at the top of the year."
If Lanterns does return, then the creative team will need to follow Jeremy Latcham's blueprint, not Gunn's. Given that fans have been vocal about wanting a greater focus on space-set action, it's hard to imagine Lanterns continuing without something changing.
Either way, more Lanterns doesn't sound like a priority for Skydance right now. "Insiders told TheWrap that Latcham has a mandate from Skydance CEO David Ellison to get Justice League headliners like Batman, Wonder Woman and Aquaman back on the big screen," the report explains before adding, "And quick."
The mention of Aquaman is a little surprising, but his first movie did gross over $1 billion in 2018. The bigger priority seems to be reassembling the Justice League in the DCU, focusing on those bigger-name characters and putting the likes of Clayface, Peacemaker, and Polka-Dot Man back on the shelf.
Still, DC Studios faces a tough battle to win fans over. While some have celebrated Gunn and Safran's departure, others are frustrated at the prospect of yet another reboot.
However, since Creature Commandos was released in 2024, Gunn hasn't fully established an endgame for the first wave of DCU movies and TV shows. He's also created all manner of continuity headaches by bringing the DCEU's Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad into the fold.
In a joint statement, Gunn and Safran said, "Four years ago, we set out to unite DC under one creative vision. In that time, we helped restore Superman to the heart of DC, while opening new doors and telling new stories in film and television with Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface."
"We’re immensely proud of the team that turned that ambition into something real, including the actors, crews and executives we had the opportunity to collaborate with."
"We’ve shared a creative history with Jeremy going back to Marvel, and we’re eager to see the perspective he brings to DC’s next chapter," they said of Latcham. "We’re excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love, including the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in Man of Tomorrow."