When DC Studios was officially formed in January 2023, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced an ambitious "Chapter 1 - Gods and Monsters" slate. Many of those movies and TV shows have since hit stumbling blocks, but the new DCU is slowly starting to take shape.
Creature Commandos was the first DCU project, and ties into this summer's Superman and Peacemaker season 2 thanks to Rick Flag Sr. Beyond that, 2026 will give us Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Gunn confirmed the expected: Superman will be a crucial part of the wider story he intends to tell in the DCU. Surprisingly, Peacemaker will be an important chapter, too, but Creature Commandos...not so much.
"Oh, [Superman] is very important. I wouldn't say Creature Commandos is important, but Peacemaker and Superman are both pretty important in terms of getting to the bigger story. At the same time, I am really trying to be careful that anybody can dip in and see the story that is up next and not feel like they're missing information. The other stories can provide added texture to what you're watching. That might change down the line as we get deeper into what's happening in this universe."
"It could be like Infinity War and Endgame, where you kind of have to see Infinity War to know what's going on in Endgame. But right now, I'm trying to keep it so that you don't have to see Superman to see Supergirl, for example. Even though there's a lot of stuff in Superman that leads to Peacemaker, you certainly don't need to see it to see Peacemaker. It's just good if you have, but we also say 'Previously in the DCU' before every episode, so the TV stuff's pretty easy."
While rumours swirl about a World's Finest movie, the endgame surely has to be a new take on Justice League with Gunn at the helm. However, what of Justice League Dark?
Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro was once attached to what's been billed as his dream project, and it remains one of those unmade superhero movies that had the potential to be great. The DCEU moved on from del Toro with an ultimately unproduced slate of Justice League Dark projects from producer J.J. Abrams, so will Gunn give del Toro another shot?
"I love Guillermo, and we own a movie theater together. By the way, Guillermo's never said that to me. I hear all these things about, 'Guillermo would love to do Justice League Dark.' Well, Guillermo's never said that to me. 'Just let Steven Spielberg do his Blackhawks movie that he wants to do!' Steven Spielberg, who I love above anyone else, has never said that to me. So these things get blown out of proportion."
"Years and years ago, I said I wanted to make a Thunderbolts movie. I was in a convention somewhere, and somebody asked me, 'What did I want to do that wasn't Guardians of the Galaxy?' I said Thunderbolts. And for years and years, it's like, 'James Gunn should be allowed to make his Thunderbolts movie.' I have a million things that I thought I wanted to do in certain moments."
That doesn't sound overly promising, but Gunn has strongly hinted that he has plans for John Constantine in the DCU. Recent years have seen Wonder Woman assemble alongside this supernatural team, so perhaps that's something DC Studios could explore? We'll have to wait and see.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.