It's been over two years since DC Studios unveiled its ambitious "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate of movies and TV shows. Since then, Creature Commandos has received rave reviews and the buzz surrounding this summer's Superman remains incredibly positive.
With that in mind, why are we asking whether the DCU is in trouble? Well, this past week saw co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran share all manner of updates, most of which weren't great. For starters, work on at least four projects has stalled and they still don't have a Batman.
The biggest takeaway was they're making this up as they go; sure, Gunn and Safran make some bold statements about what they're planning to do, but it's hard to escape the feeling mistakes are already being made that could doom their ambitious plans.
In this feature, we look at both sides of the argument by zeroing in on the DCU's identity crisis and attempt to figure out whether this is just a unique new approach to building a shared world or a series of worrying signs that this brand is already in disarray...
5. Another DC Slate That's Failing To Materialise
In 2014, Warner Bros. announced a slate of DCEU movies that, for the most part, failed to materialise (some of those that did weren't seen until close to a decade later). At the start of 2023, DC Studios repeated history by unveiling its "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" lineup.
It's hard to escape the feeling there was some pressure from Warner Bros. Discovery to make investors happy. Either way, this week's press event saw Gunn and Safran confirm work on The Authority, Swamp Thing, Booster Gold, and Waller has stalled.
They're not outright cancelled but taking 2023's strikes into account, it's shocking these movies and TV shows aren't anywhere close to being ready two years later. But hey, Clayface and Sgt. Rock are both getting their own movies, so there's that...
4. Where's Batman?
Look, we're not going to criticise DC Studios for wanting to get the projects mentioned above right. It's arguably better to do that than rush them and, in all honestly, the DC brand can't afford one more flop, never mind several.
It's hard to forgive the lack of progress on The Brave and the Bold, though. With Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II coming together at a snail's pace, the DCU-set story of Batman and Robin should have been as big a priority for DC Studios as Superman.
The Dark Knight is a huge box office draw and, regardless of the DCEU's many faults, Batman's popularity never really waned during that era of storytelling. The script is being worked on but it's nuts this role still hasn't been cast yet.
3. Confusion Reigns
For some reason, Gunn has spent a fair bit of time teasing the possibility of Robert Pattinson being the DCU's Batman, only for him and Safran to confirm that won't be happening (even Reeves, to a lesser extent, hinted it could be in the works by not shooting down the possibility).
Most of you reading this will be hardcore fans who can wrap your heads around multiple actors playing the same characters simultaneously, but that's not so easy for casual fans. They'll have likely seen the headlines about Pattinson joining the DCU and, while it makes sense for it not to happen, why not set the record straight months or years ago?
We're not even going to get into the whole thing of some actors from the DCEU returning while the majority are recast. It's almost as if, even two years down the line, Gunn and Safran are hedging their bets when it comes to what the DCU should be.
2. The DCU Doesn't Seem To Know What It Wants To Be
To expand on that latter point, what even is the DCU? While we applaud Gunn and Safran for having the guts to tell these stories across all genres and budgets, it feels like DC Studios is having an identity crisis, of sorts.
Throughout last week's press event, the duo appeared to contradict each other. While Safran hyped up a new shared world akin to the MCU, Gunn said these projects aren't chapters in an overall tale, only to say their characters are part of one.
It feels like they want to have their cake and eat it too by avoiding episodic-style storytelling before eventually throwing all these heroes into the same project. We're not going to write off a pretty radical approach to building a shared world but part of what's made the MCU so successful is that connective tissues and it's what fans and audiences alike now crave.
1. Where's It All Leading?
As DC Studios balances epic sci-fi tales with low-budget horror and war movies, it's fair to say we can expect to visit many corners of the DCU over the coming years. That's not a bad thing and there are more characters than just those who comprise the Justice League worth focusing on.
Gunn told reporters he's got a six-year plan that will culminate with an Avengers: Endgame-level event, but how can we believe him when half the movies and TV shows he announced have been paused and DC Studios keeps adding new projects to its slate?
With no clarity on what all these movies are leading to, it's a little hard to have faith in the vision or that Gunn and Safran aren't just making this up as they go and throwing anything and everything at the wall to see what sticks. DC Studios can hold countless press events and Gunn can answer endless questions on social media, but the fact is, they're failing to inspire faith in this vision.