James Gunn has made good on his promise to announce his first projects since taking over as the head of DC Studios with Peter Safran. James Gunn’s official DC Slate was revealed at a private press event on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank that out own JimmyO was lucky enough to attend yesterday. In his opening remarks, Gunn mentioned the plan was to go from Shazam: Fury of the Gods to The Flash to Blue Beetle to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to (gasp) Superman. And indeed, the Man of Steel will be returning in a film called Superman: Legacy (to be written by Gunn himself) which is due out on July 11th, 2025, and will be the first feature to be made by Gunn’s group. No director or cast announced yet. The Batman – Part II will also be a 2025 release, with Gunn confirming an October 3rd, 2025 release date.
Superman: Legacy will be the first feature instalment of what Gunn is calling Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Among the other features announced is Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which will see Bruce Wayne fighting alongside his son Damian Wayne, who will be Robin. No news on who will be playing Batman, which is anyone’s guess, but it won’t be Robert Pattinson, as the plan is to keep that series separate from what Gunn is doing. There will also be Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which presumably will star The Flash’s Sasha Calle. Gunn mentioned that he saw The Flash and said he loved it, although whether Calle will be in this film is still just guesswork. And, those of you eager DC to finally do the Green Lantern justice will be treated to Lanterns, an HBO Max series teaming Hal Jordan and John Stewart as “intergalactic cops” in what Gunn described as a True Detective style series.
At the same time, I wouldn’t expect Gal Gadot back as Wonder Woman any time soon, with the slate including a Wonder Woman prequel series called Paradise Lost, which is about the Amazons pre-Diana. That said, Gunn did leave fans a glimmer of hope noting that non-series one-offs like the Joker sequel and The Batman – Part II will still be happening, so who knows?
Notably, some more unusual DC characters are getting films, with Gunn announcing a Swamp Thing movie as well as The Authority, which will feature characters from the WildStorm imprint.
Here is the full list of James Gunn’s DC Slate including all the Movies/TV shows we can expect:
Film Projects
Superman: Legacy – written by Gunn, the film will hit theaters on July 11, 2025, and focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.
The Authority – WildStorm characters will join the DCU as members of The Authority take matters into their own hands to do what they believe is right
The Brave and the Bold – the DCU will introduce its Batman and Robin in this unusual father-son story inspired by Grant Morrison’s comic series
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow – this science fiction adventure, which will be based on Tom King’s amazing, award-winning recent comics stories, presents a Supergirl viewers are not used to seeing
Swamp Thing – the film will investigate the dark origins of Swamp Thing
Television Projects for HBO Max
Creature Commandos – a seven-episode animated show in which Amanda Waller creates a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners; Gunn wrote all the episodes of the first season
Waller – starring Viola Davis, this series features Team Peacemaker and will be written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural)
Booster Gold – Booster Gold uses basic technology from the future to pretend to be a superhero in present day
Lanterns – this enormous TV event series follows intergalactic cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they uncover a dark mystery
Paradise Lost – set in Themyscira, home of the Amazons and birthplace of Wonder Woman, this drama focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women
On the slate, co-head of DC Studios Peter Safran noted, “As we craft the plan for DC Studios, we are thrilled to share with fans the first 10 stories they can expect from the unified DC Universe featuring some of our most well-known characters as well as the next generation of marquee characters.” He added: “Chapter 1 tells cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit, all designed to minimize audience confusion and maximize audience engagement across platforms.”
Of course, this is all meant to whet our appetites, with more reveals to come. While no casting has been announced yet, it sounds like, for the time being, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Zachary Levi’s Shazam, and even Ezra Miller’s The Flash are all part of the new DC Universe, but I suppose the reaction to the new films will be the ultimate judge.