In January 2023, James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as DC Studios co-CEOs. The duo unveiled a slate of upcoming projects—dubbed "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters," a moniker rarely used since—many of which haven't materialised.
Two of five movies have been made, and only two of five TV shows are either already streaming or around the corner. There have been some new additions to the slate, like Clayface, Peacemaker Season 2, and Mister Miracle, but in three years, only 40% of that original slate's offerings have started production.
That's not a great batting average!
In this feature, we're taking a closer look at the big and small screen DCU offerings that have fallen by the wayside. Will they still happen, or are they destined to go unmade? You can learn more by clicking the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
8. The Authority
The Authority was supposed to see a group of WildStorm characters join the DCU, with members of The Authority "[taking] matters into their own hands to do what they believe is right."
While writers like Warren Ellis, Mark Millar, and Grant Morrison have all delivered memorable takes on these characters over the years, they're among the DC Universe's more obscure characters. They're also not overly commercially friendly, and Superman's Engineer came and went with relatively little excitement from even die-hard fans.
It seems the idea was for this to be DC Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead, the movie has been put on pause and may never happen.
7. The Brave and the Bold
We could dedicate a whole feature to this one. In 2023, we were told that The Brave and the Bold would "introduce [the DCU's] Batman and Robin in this unusual father-son story inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic series."
The Flash's Andy Muschietti—supposedly—remains attached to direct, and a writer is said to be working on the script. Gunn, however, has admitted that he's struggled to figure out what the DCU's Batman should look like and not helping matters is the small fact that Matt Reeves' "Elseworlds" sequel to The Batman is gearing up to begin shooting.
Gunn has finally admitted that he won't have two versions of Batman in theaters in the same year. Plus, with the DCU's Dark Knight still not cast, this movie (which Gunn has hinted will no longer feature Damian Wayne) is likely years away.
6. Waller
The DCU was meant to be a reboot, but if one thing has become clear, it's that Gunn wants to continue working with the actors he collaborated with on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker (with them playing the same characters). Potential audience confusion be damned, eh?
Regardless, Waller, starring Viola Davis, was going to feature Team Peacemaker and was being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural).
Gunn has confirmed that the series has faced creative difficulties, though it was always hard to figure out why this needed to happen in the first place. Waller is a fascinating character, but making her the lead of her own TV show seems ill-advised. With that in mind, it might be for the best that this one has been put on the back burner.
5. Booster Gold
This was a TV series that did generate a fair bit of excitement among fans. Booster Gold's proper live-action debut is long-overdue, and a logline revealed that, in the show, "Booster Gold uses basic technology from the future to pretend to be a superhero in [the] present day."
After Danny McBride, John Carcieri, and Jeff Fradley took a crack at the show, Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins has come on board Booster Gold to write a pilot. Alas, rumours that Eternals star Kumail Nanjiani will play Booster are reportedly incorrect.
Of all those listed here, Booster Gold perhaps has the best chance of eventually happening. Still, it's been slow going, and hasn't come together as fast as most fans hoped it might.
4. Sgt. Rock
Seemingly realising that many of the other projects listed here wouldn't be ready in time for a 2026 theatrical release, Clayface and Sgt. Rock were fast-tracked into development.
Challengers helmer Luca Guadagnino was attached to direct, with Daniel Craig circling the title role before Colin Farrell came on board. Initially, the UK's unpredictable weather was blamed for Sgt. Rock being sidelined. Later, we'd hear about creative differences, and Gunn got perhaps a little too candid while discussing those issues.
"The movie’s not going to be good," he said of its postponement. "The director’s going to look bad, the screenwriter’s going to look bad, and we’re going to look bad." Wait, we thought it was down to the weather?
3. Paradise Lost
After Wonder Woman 1984 disappointed fans, it seemed like Gunn and Safran wanted to give Diana Prince a break before bringing her into the DCU. So, the decision was made to pivot to Paradise Lost, a TV series.
"Set in Themyscira, home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman," reads the logline, "this drama focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women." It was later likened to Game of Thrones, but didn't generate a huge amount of excitement.
Paradise Lost hasn't been completely cancelled, but exploring the island's history no longer seems to be a priority now that DC Studios is shifting focus—rightly—to Wonder Woman.
2. Swamp Thing
DC Studios' Swamp Thing movie was announced with director James Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) attached. In terms of plot details, all we know is that "the film will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing."
However, with Mangold busy with several other projects, we do believe Swamp Thing will eventually happen...but likely with a different filmmaker at the helm. As terms of updates, Gunn has simply said that there's no script and noted that Mangold is busy.
The Swamp Thing TV series was excellent, and the potential is there for a great movie, with or without Mangold. Still, in terms of sheer commercial appeal, other projects should be a priority for the studio.
1. The Rumoured Projects
Unsurprisingly, there have been a handful of rumoured projects that also aren't moving forward with much urgency at DC Studios. Teen Titans, for example, has been put to one side while Ana Nogueira takes a crack at the Wonder Woman script.
As for the movie set to feature Deathstroke and Bane, we're still not sure how real it ever really was, but it doesn't sound like a major priority.
Finally, despite talk of Plastic Man, Huntress, and Deadman movies, they're currently in the early idea/writing stage. In fairness, none of these were mentioned during the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate reveal—and there's been no official announcements—so we'll cut DC Studios a break!