The DCU kicked off with Creature Commandos, while Superman and Peacemaker season 2 will follow this summer. The one thing they all have in common is that they're either written or directed (sometimes both) by James Gunn.
In contrast, next year will see the filmmaker hand the DCU reins to several different filmmakers thanks to the launch of Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface. As DC Studios co-CEO, Gunn will produce all of them, so he remains pretty hands-on.
In a new DC Showcase interview, he heaped praise on Supergirl helmer Craig Gillespie. "Craig is such a joy to work with. I was really excited to get to work with him, and he's been just a dream in terms of collaborating...fighting for his ground...when you have an idea that you believe, you really fight for it."
The filmmaker was also asked about casting Milly Alcock as the Maiden of Might (a decision made before Gillespie was hired), and shared, "I wanted her to be this little pixie-ish, but very attitudinal character. [Milly] was the first person I brought up."
Gunn later credited Gillespie with "[amping] up" the villainous Krem of the Yellow Hills, a character who debuted in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic book. "Dude, wait till you see how scary he is in the movie," he teased, reiterating that Matthias Schoenaerts is "scary," "creepy," and "cool" in the role.
Aquaman star Jason Momoa joins the DCU as a different character in Supergirl: the Scourge o' the Cosmos, Lobo. The expectation is that the DCEU's Arthur Curry could eventually appear in a solo project, but for Gunn, Lobo was key to cracking this adaptation.
"The comic is very much a bunch of little stories," he explained. "We needed to create one throughline, one three-act story, so Lobo helps us to do that."
One of the hosts told Gunn that his favourite DC characters are Kyle Rayner, John Constantine, and Mister Miracle. We recently learned that the latter is getting his own animated series, and while the Superman helmer loves Hellblazer, he's less keen on Kyle.
"I like all three of those characters. The second two, I'm a way bigger fan of," he admitted. "I've been online enough to know everyone has their favourite Green Lantern. I'm a Guy guy, right?"
Gunn added, "Constantine, I'm actually a pretty huge fan of. I read every Hellblazer comic as it was coming out. He's a great character, and I like that approach to magic where it's not too overwhelming and he's too powerful."
Swamp Thing would be a good fit for John if James Mangold ever decides to make it. As for Kyle, it sounds like Gunn's bigger priority right now is Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and Hal Jordan.
You can watch the full interview below.