When Warner Bros. Discovery announced the formation of DC Studios, fans were understandably excited. James Gunn and Peter Safran later unveiled an exciting slate of movies and TV shows revolving around characters like Superman, Green Lantern, and Swamp Thing, and it's fair to say a reboot is long overdue.
The DCEU has been running on fumes for a while and the past 18 months or so have been an utter disaster thanks to critical and/or commercial flops like Black Adam and The Flash.
Unfortunately, this relaunch isn't exactly the full-blown reboot most wanted and Gunn's recent attempts to clear up the confusion...well, they haven't worked. It appears the DCU will be an odd amalgamation of past actors and storylines, but also a fresh start where some familiar faces are joined by a number of new ones.
Why isn't DC Studios starting from scratch? Some cynical fans believe it's because Gunn wants to ensure his friends keep their jobs, though we'd say it's more likely he and Safran just don't want to lose top-tier talents who have made a noteworthy impact with their respective characters.
In the meantime, the filmmaker has confirmed that at least three DCEU actors will be sticking around: John Cena's Peacemaker, Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, and Blue Beetle star Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes.
This isn't hugely surprising as it lines up with what we've previously heard. Cena played his character in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, two projects which also starred Davis (who made her DCEU debut way back in 2016's Suicide Squad). While Blue Beetle wasn't a box office hit, the movie received mostly positive reviews, and we'd bet on Maridueña showing up in Booster Gold. What about Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn? Your guess is as good as ours.
Gunn has also offered up his take on shared universes, and those of you expecting DC's version of the MCU when Superman: Legacy rolls around may be disappointed.
"If you think of anything as 'investing time and effort', no matter what shared universe, you definitely shouldn't be! Every story should be enjoyed and worth partaking in, in and of itself, without its attachment to an outside world."
"If it feels like homework, screw it. 'Shared universes' should add fun to the individual stories, not the other way around. The individual stories and characters are much more important to me than the connections between them."
Gunn's approach to building this new DC Universe isn't what we expected but it's far too soon to say whether that's going to be a good or bad thing. As always, let us know your thoughts on these remarks in the usual place.