DC Studios, now under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, has announced its full list of TV and movie projects, including five feature films, and five television series for HBO Max, with headliners featuring two Batman movies and a reboot for Superman
The DC Comics superhero franchise has struggled to compete with Marvel’s well-organised and integrated universe, where characters have strong story arcs and cross over into each other’s media. Conversely, the DC characters, headed by Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, have suffered from poorly received movies, lacklustre TV series and a lack of a consistent vision.
Director James Gunn and producer Peter Saffran will be hoping to fix that with a slate of new titles including a Man of Steel reboot, Superman: Legacy, scheduled for 2025. Henry Cavill, whoe interpretation of Superman caused division, is out of the franchise.
There are some familiar names in DC’s lineup, and some off-the-wall choices too, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since James Gunn introduced unfamiliar characters such as Peacemaker and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
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So what is coming up? The movies first:
SUPERMAN: LEGACY
Written by James Gunn, Superman: Legacy will follow the young Kal-El as he reconciles his extraterrestrial origins with his human family and upbringing.
THE AUTHORITY
A superhero ensemble dating back to a 1999 comic book series published under DC’s WildStorm imprint, the Authority is a group of seven heroes with “high-concept” super-powers – one, Jack Hawksmoor, is psychically bonded to cities, drawing his strength from them. This will be the first tine Wildstorm characters have appeared in the DC Universe.
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
Featuring Batman and Robin in crossovers with other characters, the comic The Brave and the Bold ran from 1967 to 1983, but is also the title of a three-season Batman animated series airing on Cartoon Network from 2008 to 2011, which seems to be the inspiration for this movie.
SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW
After the disastrous Supergirl movie of 1984, the character has only been seen on TV, so this movie, based on Tom King’s award-winning comics, will be something different.
SWAMP THING
Swamp Thing appearred in two low-budget movies in the 1980s, the first directed by Wes Craven. Little is known about the proposed movie other than that it is an origin story.
And the TV shows announced are:
CREATURE COMMANDOS
James Gunn will be writing this seven-episode series, featuring Amanda Waller (the director of the Suicide Squad) forming another super-team of “monstrous prisoners.”
WALLER
Even more of Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, in a follow-up to Peacemaker written by Watchmen’s Christal Henry and Supernatural’s Jeremy Carver.
BOOSTER GOLD
DC Comics’ well established comedy character uses time travel and future technology to make ghimself a present-day superhero.
LANTERNS
While the 2011 movie with Ryan Reynolds tanked, there’s plenty left to be made of the Green Lantern Corps, the galaxy’s foremost law enforcement agency; here Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart team up for wha is promised to be an “enormous TV event series” focused on the two unraveling “a dark mystery.”
PARADISE LOST
Though this series is set in Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira, it’s not clear that she will be the lead charater – instead we’re told “This drama focuses on the genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women,” which makes it sound more like Game of Thrones.
In addition to these projects, none of which have release dates, several DC movies predating James Gunn and Peter Safran are due for release, including Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
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