With only Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ahead of us, we’re in the final days of the DCEU. James Gunn and Peter Safran have taken charge of DC Studios and will be launching a new DC Universe, but that’s not to say there won’t be some crossover with the old DCEU.
James Gunn took to Threads to respond to fan questions asking whether actors from the DCEU would be reprising their roles in the new DCU. “Xolo Maridueña will continue playing Blue Beetle in the DCU, as Viola Davis will Amanda Waller, and John Cena will Peacemaker,” Gunn replied. This isn’t exactly breaking news, as the DC Studios co-head has previously said that Blue Beetle is the first DCU character. A second season of Peacemaker is also in the works, and it was announced that Viola Davis would be reprising the role of Amanda Waller in the animated series Creature Commandos and the live-action series Waller.
However, despite these actors reprising their DCEU characters in the new DCU, James Gunn added that “nothing is canon” until the new slate of projects begins. “Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that,” Gunn said. “It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.“
Gunn continued, “And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until CC and Legacy.“
He also gave his thoughts on shared universes and his desire to make sure each DCU project stands alone. “If you think of anything as ‘investing time and effort,’ no matter what shared universe, you definitely shouldn’t be!” Gunn said. “Every story should be enjoyed and worth partaking in, in an of itself, without its attachment to an outside world. If it feels like homework, screw it. ‘Shared universes’ should add fun to the individual stories, not the other way around. The individual stories and characters are much more important to me than the connections between them.“
Personally, I feel like the DCU should be a full-on reboot with no connection to the old DCEU. Wanting to keep certain actors and elements is understandable, but it just seems to be confusing for fans who aren’t quite sure what to expect. But, as Gunn said, we haven’t seen anything from the DCU yet, so perhaps all will be explained once it begins.