James Gunn Says DC Studios' DCU Slate Remains In Development But Warns Some May Not Come To Fruition

James Gunn Says DC Studios' DCU Slate Remains In Development But Warns Some May Not Come To Fruition

DC Studios' James Gunn has explained that the DCU's "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate was announced as being in development, meaning not every one of those movies and TV shows is guaranteed to happen...

By JoshWilding - Oct 15, 2024 10:10 AM EST
Filed Under: DC Studios

Last January, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran announced a slate of upcoming DCU movies and TV shows. 

On the big screen, fans were promised Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, and Swamp-Thing. As for the small one, Creature Commandos, Lanterns, Waller, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold were all unveiled. 

Last year's WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes slowed things down a little but Superman is in post-production, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is gearing up to begin shooting soon, and Lanterns is assembling its cast. Creature Commandos is also fast approaching.

However, the DCU slate has continued to evolve. Peacemaker season 2 seemingly came out of the blue, while the trades have shared word on animated Blue Beetle and Robin projects along with movies revolving around the Teen Titans, Bane, and Deathstroke. Definitive updates on many of the titles announced last year have also been few and far between.

Taking to Threads, Gunn set out to clear the air by explaining, "Just to clarify, I said everything we originally announced was still in development not that it’s still coming. That all depends on the scripts! We’ll never put a half-assed script in production just because it was announced."

While it doesn't necessarily sound like Gunn is saying some of the announced movies and TV shows won't happen, that "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate doesn't appear to be as set in stone as we expected. 

How wise it was to announce projects in development rather than those guaranteed to happen is up for debate. Unfortunately, this brings back memories of the DCEU slate unveiling which prematurely hyped up the likes of Cyborg and Justice League 2

Asked why they were announced, Gunn added, "Because they would all get out there with or without us announcing (as projects since have), so we simply announced the projects we were putting in development."

"I wish we lived in a world where I could wait to have a script before the development of a project got out," the filmmaker concluded. 

Check out his posts, and a Creature Commandos tease for New York Comic Con, below. 

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Spoken
Spoken - 10/15/2024, 10:06 AM
Well sure as shit looks that way
thedrudo
thedrudo - 10/15/2024, 10:17 AM
Not buying his rationale at all
WakandaTech
WakandaTech - 10/15/2024, 10:26 AM
We might not get swamp thing,

but for sure will get peacemaker season 2

Typical Gunn
dracula
dracula - 10/15/2024, 10:49 AM
@WakandaTech - Well Peacemaker season 2 is already filmed and has been in the works since before Gunn took over

Swamp Thing has a director and the script needs to meet both's expectations

Wouldn't worry about Swamp Thing
NightEagle3
NightEagle3 - 10/15/2024, 10:27 AM
"Cavill was never fired, because he was never hired" ahh response lol
Shivermetimbers
Shivermetimbers - 10/15/2024, 11:05 AM
@NightEagle3 - I will never understand why people started replacing ass with ahh. Nothing against you, but it seems so silly.
NightEagle3
NightEagle3 - 10/15/2024, 12:15 PM
@Shivermetimbers - oh no, you're absolutely right lol I hate it with a passion. I only use it here because it's in a "meme" format I guess lol you will never catch me saying that dumb shit in every day verbage lol
AllsGood
AllsGood - 10/15/2024, 10:27 AM
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Forthas
Forthas - 10/15/2024, 10:42 AM
Lets hope James Gunn's entire slate does not come to fruition!

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Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/15/2024, 11:04 AM
@Forthas - I've never been a DC guy, but I sincerely hope that these DCU movies are more successful than anyone ever imagined, because I think it'll be funny to see you try to spin them as failures.
Forthas
Forthas - 10/15/2024, 11:17 AM
@Clintthahamster - Well we have two models that are going on to judge by....The Batman/Penguin grounded chracter driven model which I prefer...and The Suicide Squad/Peacemker slapstick comedy model that James thinks is good. Whish one do you think is doing better?

"I sincerely hope that these DCU movies are more successful than anyone ever imagined..."

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Forthas
Forthas - 10/15/2024, 11:28 AM
@Clintthahamster -

This is the ratings for the Anti-James Gunn DC! You know the one he is now trying to put the DC Studio brand on to make people think he had something to do with it.

Penguin ratings
https://www.thewrap.com/the-penguin-episode-4-ratings-hbo/
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 10/15/2024, 12:56 PM
@Forthas - The Penguin is the first DC Studios production. Yes, production started before DCU was announced, but 1) principal photography started under DC Studios, and 2) of course Gunn and Safran were involved in creative discussions prior to that. But, like I said, please stay mad. Your dogged consistency in this matter is weirdly reassuring.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/15/2024, 4:52 PM
@Forthas -

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Forthas
Forthas - 10/15/2024, 5:24 PM
@HulkisHoly -

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MuadDib
MuadDib - 10/15/2024, 10:44 AM
I think Zaslav is tightening the purse strings until he sees how Superman plays out in the box office. They are running out of money quick which is why we hear rumors of WB or DC getting sold every few months.

Assuming Superman does well, I suspect more autonomy will be given to Gunn to green light projects, similarly if Superman flops, which I think it unlikely but not impossible, the DCU could be dead before it ever really starts.

If Gunn can succeed in establishing the DCU with resounding financial success and the hits keep coming with the likes of Laterns and Brave and the Bold, we could be in for a golden era of DCU movies unlike what we’ve gotten previously
Arthorious
Arthorious - 10/27/2024, 7:19 AM
@MuadDib - all of these rest upon Superman’s shoulders. If that movie does exceptionally well I think we may even get more Superman content (still hoping for a good Superman game). But on the other hand, if it even does just alright, I can see the DCU dissolve rather quickly.
BruceWayng
BruceWayng - 10/15/2024, 10:48 AM
I’m really looking forward to seeing what Gunn does with the DCU but having Creature Commandos be their first official project to be released might not have been the best idea…

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dracula
dracula - 10/15/2024, 10:51 AM
@BruceWayng - betting it and Waller are left over projects from before he took over

he was developing more Suicide Squad spin offs before he took over
BruceWayng
BruceWayng - 10/15/2024, 11:11 AM
@dracula - True and I’m definitely not opposed to seeing the behind the scenes gov sponsored side of the DCU. I just kinda wish we got an ARGUS show over Creature Commando
eagc1995
eagc1995 - 10/15/2024, 3:41 PM
@dracula @BruceWayng - Yeah i think these are leftover DCEU projects that were slightly modified to fit within the new canon.
CLTMAN29
CLTMAN29 - 10/15/2024, 10:50 AM
It's the EXACT SAME story all over again. Go back to WB's 2014 slate announcement after Man of Steel was released and look how much of that never happened/got pushed back/got added. DC are in SUCH a rush to catch up with Marvel, their tripping over their own feet. No one seems to have realised that if you take your time and build your product, ultimately people will have more faith in it. I like that Gunn wants us to jump into an established universe - but the amount of heroes and cameos already in Superman feels like an overstuffed hot mess.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/15/2024, 4:55 PM
@CLTMAN29 -

I mean, marvels FIRST film, Iron Man had a post credit tease for the avengers with nick fury so the MCU basically also was teasing and announcing their future plans were to do avengers and we knew this as fact with every film in phase one. It wasn’t a surprise when we saw the avengers teaser.

We knew it the whole time. So why should we be surprised that DC have future plans?
CLTMAN29
CLTMAN29 - 11/21/2024, 11:08 AM
@HulkisHoly - Nothing was set in stone at all. Go back and look at the press announcements. They gradually set release dates and eased in. Nothing was announced all at once. The INTENTION to cross over into an Avengers movie was there, but it was very much a 'let's see how things pan out.' They didn't announce a full [frick]ing dated slate covering five years with [frick] all but Iron Man released. They only started doing that from Phase 3 onwards.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 10/15/2024, 11:01 AM
As far as I'm concerned, this man announced too soon. He should have just been patient, got scripts ready(at least half ready), and then announced. This chasing Marvel, who is over 12 years ahead, will do him no good.

Now, he is saying, "Because it was announced doesn't mean it will go into production." What kind of stupid comment is that? I think we all know that, but look at Joker 2 😒.

Gunn should also stop responding to messages on Twitter and focus on building the studio; why does he need to engage, for [frick]s sake? All the movies so far have bombed, shut the [frick] up and focus on the job at hand.
elcapitan
elcapitan - 10/15/2024, 2:17 PM
@THEKENDOMAN - Marvel has done the same thing. Remember The Kang Dynasty, Armor Wars, Blade, World War Hulk, Nova, Eternals 2. None of those had scripts when they were announced or leaked. And they have mostly been delayed or cancelled. Not to mention tons of movies pre-MCU.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 10/15/2024, 3:15 PM
@elcapitan - But this is after 10 years of work.

This is the beginning of a new DC. Step by step.
HulkisHoly
HulkisHoly - 10/15/2024, 4:55 PM
@THEKENDOMAN -

The very first marvel film teased the avengers dude.

How quickly we forget.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 10/15/2024, 5:30 PM
@HulkisHoly - Nah, it's not the same.

Marvel got it right from the beginning. DC has tried to crack numerous times and failed.

All I'm saying is go another route.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 10/15/2024, 11:08 AM
So why announce them? Business as usual at WB 😳
OgHerManM
OgHerManM - 10/15/2024, 11:47 AM
@AmazingFILMporg - He answered this question twice…
eagc1995
eagc1995 - 10/15/2024, 3:42 PM
@AmazingFILMporg - He anwsered the question, these projects would've been leaked, so they wanted to control the narrative instead of some scooper or the major trades getting first dibs.
TheJester187
TheJester187 - 10/15/2024, 11:40 AM
As long as Reeves Batman Epic Crime Saga continues and Kore Spin-offs in that universe idc really what he does until I see or hear what I like.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 10/15/2024, 11:41 AM
I mean I get it…

There’s no winning because if they don’t officially announce a project then the trades will do best to get ahead of the situation as much as possible.

Plus , people don’t really understand the industry as much as they think they do since in development usually means projects are looking for writers and directors or script is still being written and take it as this will definitely happen which isn’t the case.

I do think also announcing a partial slate before these projects have been officially greenlit is not the best idea from both companies since it creates that expectation in people so best to do so after that is done.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 10/15/2024, 12:25 PM
I love how transparent he is with DC Studios.
This is important shit for the fanbase to know. The creative process is fluid so it's good to be along for the ride with them on this. And we can't hold them to any announcement, because we know things can change.
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/15/2024, 12:29 PM
Swamp Thing is what I was looking forward to seeing the most.
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 10/15/2024, 12:35 PM
I mean they loaded up their plate pretty high, wouldn't be surprising if some of these get the axe or just combined and redeveloped. With that being said, after how good the show was I sure AF hope we're still getting Swamp Thing.
TheJok3r
TheJok3r - 10/15/2024, 1:11 PM
So basically what they were doing during the DCEU era.
elcapitan
elcapitan - 10/15/2024, 2:11 PM
Creature Commandos looks kind of like Doom Patrol!
grif
grif - 10/15/2024, 3:06 PM
the new sony. announce a bunch of shit then dont make it.


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