Gal Gadot in ‘Superpowered: The DC Story.’ Photograph by Courtesy of Max/Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman has battled many enemies in her time, between the pages of comic books and on screens big and small. But this past December, it looked like the one challenge she couldn’t rise to meet was the sweeping regime change at Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC arm, where the installation of filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran looked to change things up for the cinematic universe based on the DC comics output.
Back then, co-writer/director Patty Jenkins, who had shepherded ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ to screens, said that her latest draft for a third outing had been rejected by Warners (though not directly Gunn and Safran).
Yet while Gunn has made plans for a story set among the Amazons, it appears Diana Prince could still return to movie theaters, and with Gal Gadot remaining in the role, if the actor herself proves correct.
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Gal Gadot lets slip about talks with the DC team
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in ‘Wonder Woman 1984.’
Out promoting (before the actors’ strike shut all such activity down) new Netflix action thriller ‘Heart of Stone’, Gadot told Comicbook.com that she’s been developing a new ‘Wonder Woman’ focused project with the DC bosses.
Here’s what she said:
”I love portraying Wonder Woman. It’s so close to and dear to my heart. From what I heard from James and from Peter is that we’re gonna develop a ‘Wonder Woman 3’ together.”
So, yes, not that much to go on and as we all know, talk of development doesn’t necessarily translate into actual films, but at least it gives some hope to those who appreciate the work that Gadot has put in as Wonder Woman up to now.
(Left) David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’ (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Because of her long connection to DC, Gadot was also asked about the news of David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane for Gunn’s new movie ‘Superman: Legacy’.
Here’s her thoughts:
“I saw that they were testing, doing different screen tests, but I don’t know who got it, but it seemed like everyone was super legit and talented and, like, great. So, I’m happy for them. It’s such a huge take-on and it’s such an exciting beginning to any actor, and I wish whoever it’s going to be the best of luck and enjoy the ride.”
Will we see Gadot eventually sharing the screen with Corenswet’s newly minted Superman? Only time will tell on that front, but at least it points to Gunn and Safran not completely throwing out everything of the previous DC universe (though we doubt there will be much of it still around).
‘Heart of Stone’, meanwhile, which sees the actor as a spy forced to go rogue, will be on Netflix on August 11th.
Gal Gadot attends the Netflix’s Tudum: A Global Fan Event 2023 at Fundação Bienal de São Paulo on June 17, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images for NETFLIX.
Zachary Levi attends the World Premiere of ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ in Westwood, CA. Photo: Eric Charbonneau.
Zachary Levi opens up about the superhero film ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ and his future with the franchise. In an interview with The FilmUp Podcast, the actor acknowledges the criticism from movie critics, “I don’t know what the future holds for it all because, unfortunately, the second movie was not well received,” Levi says of the low critics’ score, “The audience score is still quite good, but the critics’ score was very oddly and perplexingly low, and people were insanely unkind.”
Currently, ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ stands at 49% from critics on Rotten Tomoates and an audience score of 86%. For comparison, the 2019 ‘Shazam!’ is certified Fresh on the aggregator site, with a 90% critics’ score and 82% audience score. The film became available on digital less than a month after its theatrical release, grossing $133 million worldwide. The production budget for ‘ Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ was $125 million.
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The actor eludes to reasons why the sequel did not perform as well as its predecessor:
“I think even just the world, from the first movie to the second movie, the world has shifted so much. Social media has shifted so much. Hate, online hate and haters and trolls, and factions and all that has just gotten more galvanized in its toxicity. I think there are people who genuinely, unfortunately, want to destroy certain projects because they don’t like them, or they don’t like me, or they don’t like other people involved in them or whatever.”
Levi questions whether or not he’ll be able to return as Shazam in the new DCU but remains hopeful, “I have no idea where we go from here. I just hope that or believe that history will show… it will be one of those things that people will go back, people will watch ‘Fury of the Gods’ on home streaming or on a plane or whatever, and it will be this movie that they heard so much s**t about and then they will be like, ‘Well, wait a minute.’ ”
Zachary Levi is not the only actor with an uncertain future in the DCU. Fellow actors who held titular characters such as Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, and Dwayne Johnson are unlikely to return to reprise their roles. While certain superheroes have made cameo appearances in recent films such as ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ and ‘The Flash’ it doesn’t cement their return to the DCU since its revamp. We have yet to see a brand-new movie released under the reign of James Gunn and Peter Safran, other than what has been laid out in the initial roadmap promising ‘Superman: Legacy,’ ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,’ ‘Brave and the Bold,’ ‘Swamp Thing,’ and ‘The Authority.’
Anthony Carrigan on HBO’s ‘Barry.’ Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.
James Gunn really is looking to some deep cuts to fill the character list of ‘Superman: Legacy’, the film he’s planning to kick off the big screen version of DC Studios’ output.
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How deep? Try classic DC character Metamorpho, who will be brought to life by ‘Barry’ actor Anthony Carrigan.
DC Comics’ Metamorpho. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.
Metamorpho, real name Rex Mason, was created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon in 1965. He can transmute elements in his body into various forms, taking those properties on as powers. After first being an archeologist, his abilities set him on the path of heroism. He later became a detective and a founding member of the supergroup known as the Outsiders.
Carrigan, who played NoHo Hank on Bill Hader’s successful HBO series (and has recently scored another Emmy nomination for the role) had already thought about the character before he got the role.
“I like comic books, but I’m not a diehard, but I did when all my hair fell out, go through the kind of pantheon of all of these bald superheroes and supervillains and made note of all of them. I remember seeing Metamorpho and I think he had, like, a giant like hammer for a hand and I was like, ‘that guy’s badass. Noted. We’ll store that one away.’ This character from what I’ve learned of the source material, he didn’t like the way he looked, and I can really relate to that. When he got his powers he thought it was a curse. That’s something that I really felt as well. In my case, I turned it around and saw it as a blessing. So, I’m excited to bring that to the table with this character.”
(Left) David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’ (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Little is truly known about the plotline at this point, but Gunn has been clear that he’s eschewing the usual exploding home planet Krypton/arrival in Smallville origin story (though those will likely be referenced) in favor of more of a workplace film with Clark showing up to work at the Planet, where Lois will already be an established reporting star.
Peter Safran said this about the new movie during the duo’s big announcement about DC films and series going forward:
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
‘Superman: Legacy’, which is scheduled to shoot early next year (which will hopefully put it beyond the strike shutdowns), should land in theaters on July 11th, 2025.
Anthony Carrigan on HBO’s ‘Barry.’ Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.
(Left) Isabela Merced in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Rosaline,’ exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios.(Center) Nathan Fillion at the premiere of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.’ (Left) Edi Gathegi in ‘Aporia.’
Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi are the new recruits (though in Fillion’s case, we somewhat suspect Gunn had been looking for a role for his regular collaborator before he even started the search for Supes.)
They’ll be playing Guy Gardner (a Green Lantern), Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific, respectively.
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Who is Guy Gardner?
Green Lantern Guy Gardner. Courtesy of DC Comics.
Fillion (who has appeared in many of Gunn’s previous movies, including ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’) will be Gardner, one of the main ring bearers of the Green Lantern corps. Created by John Broome and Gil Kane, he first appeared in the pages of Green Lantern #59, published in March 1968.
According to Vanity Fair’s Anthony Breznican, who broke the news of the latest casting, he’ll stay true to his comics background: Gardner is known as an abrasive, sometimes obnoxious presence (something we know Fillion can do while still be remaining fun). The character is known for his iconic bowl cut haircut, which will be a part of the actor’ look in the film.
Who is Hawkgirl?
Hawkgirl from DC Comics. Courtesy of DC Comics.
Merced, known for playing Dora The Explorer in ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold’ is on to play Hawkgirl, a warrior who favors swords, spears, and maces. She’s been seen on TV in ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow’, but this is a new actor and take on the character.
Who is Mister Terrific?
Mister Terrific (Michael Holt). Courtesy of DC Comics.
Finally, we have Gathegi (seen in the ‘Twilight’ movies and most recently on Apple TV+’s space drama ‘For All Mankind’), who has been cast as Mr. Terrific. Also known as Michael Holt, he’s not only a skilled combatant but one of the world’s most brilliant inventors and tacticians, orbited by the floating T-Sphere weapons he designed.
(Left) David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’ (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Little is truly known about the plotline at this point, but Gunn has been clear that he’s eschewing the usual exploding home planet Krypton/arrival in Smallville origin story (though those will likely be referenced) in favor of more of a workplace film with Clark showing up to work at the Planet, where Lois will already be an established reporting star.
Peter Safran said this about the new movie during the duo’s big announcement about DC films and series going forward:
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
‘Superman: Legacy’ is scheduled to land in theaters on July 11th, 2025 –– that’s right, just about two years from now. So, if long waits are your kryptonite, we can only apologize.
(Left) Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account. (Right) Superman. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.com.
The DC Studios boss, who remains committed to making movies of his own while crafting the studio’s overall strategy, has been writing the script for a new Superman movie for a while now.
And in looking for the cast –– the sort of roles that can change or define careers –– he’s been particularly careful.
Finally, it appears he’s cut down the list to the final choices, as actors David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Superman –– and his alter ego/disguise, Clark Kent –– and Lois Lane, the fellow reporter at the Daily Planet newspaper who will become the love of his life.
Gunn and his producing partner (and DC Studios co-CEO) Peter Safran have been conducting screen tests for the final few actors in full costume and makeup, with “test deals” in place (so they get paid for showing up).
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What’s the story of ‘Superman: Legacy’?
Little is truly known about the plotline at this point, but Gunn has been clear that he’s eschewing the usual exploding home planet Krypton/arrival in Smallville origin story (though those will likely be referenced) in favor of more of a workplace film with Clark showing up to work at the Planet, where Lois will already be an established reporting star.
Safran said this about the new movie during the duo’s big announcement about DC films and series going forward:
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”
Who is David Corenswet?
David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’
Corenswet is a rising star at this point, but he does have some projects in his resume, including ‘Pearl’ and ‘Affairs of State’ in theaters and ‘We Own This City’, ‘Hollywood’ and ‘The Politician’ on TV screens.
He’s the sort of new face that directors love to cast as Supes, since he’s bringing less baggage with him to the role (if you’ll recall, Henry Cavill had the likes of ‘The Tudors’ in his background but hadn’t really broken through before ‘Man of Steel’.
Who is Rachel Brosnahan?
Rachel Brosnahan in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
Brosnahan, of course, is a different consideration. She’s well established, at least for TV viewers, since she’s played the title role in ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ for a few years now. She’s also had some film roles, but while she’s higher profile than Corenswet, she’s not on, say the Angelina Jolie level.
We’re still waiting to hear who might end up in the other roles for the movie, though Nicholas Hoult was among those testing for Clark Kent, but who had also been considered as big villain Lex Luthor. There have also been rumblings of Bill Skarsgård as Lex.
And while Emma Mackey was at one point considered a front-runner for Lois alongside Brosnahan, she may end up with another role in this or some other DC Studios release.
‘Superman: Legacy’ is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11th, 2025.
(Left) Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account. (Right) Superman. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.com.
(Left) David Corenswet in Netflix’s ‘The Politician.’ (Center Left) Nicholas Hoult in ‘Renfield.’ (Center Right) Emma Mackey in Netflix’s ‘Sex Education.’ (Right) Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Corenswet has apparently impressed Gunn enough that he’s moving forward to the screen test phase, though of course there is plenty of competition for that role in particular. Names such as ‘Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi and British actors Tom Brittney and Andrew Richardson have been in the mix, but it’s still very early days and none of those are apparently in serious contention.
Rachel Brosnahan on Prime Video’s ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.’
Since the film takes place during Clark/Superman’s early days as reporter at the Daily Planet and how important star reporter Lois Lane is to his story, hers is naturally a vital role to find. Rachel Brosnahan, the Emmy-winning star of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ reportedly rocked her audition but might be seen as too old at the grand age of 32! (The roles are apparently being targeted at 20-somethings).
So, a more likely choice, at least give age-wise, is ‘Sex Education’s Emma Mackey, who will be seen this summer in ‘Barbie’.
Then we have the villain, and from the sounds of it, ‘Legacy’ will feature the most famous Superman opponent, Lex Luthor. And if the Reporter’s story is to be believed, ‘Renfield’s Nicholas Hoult is currently the front-runner for the role. He’s nowhere near official yet, of course, but the word on him is positive.
Hoult has comic book experience, of course, having starred in several ‘X-Men‘ movies. And he was in consideration for Batman in Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ but lost that role to Robert Pattinson.
There are also other classic DC characters involved, so expect a slew of casting stories once the actors are locked in.
Gunn, in typically open –– but still private –– style, took to twitter to reiterate that he won’t be commenting on any casting rumors.
For all of you asking, I would never comment on who is or isn’t AUDITIONING for a role. That’s the actor’s business only & isn’t something I’d make public unless they did it first after the fact (like @GlennHowerton or @ZacharyLevi having auditioned for Star-Lord & being top…
‘Superman: Legacy’ is scheduled to hit theaters on July 11th, 2025.
(Left) Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account. (Right) Superman. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.com.
While it seems that director and co-chairman of DC Studios James Gunn makes news almost every day when answering questions on Twitter about his upcoming plans for the DC Universe, he has yet to announce any cast members for ‘Superman: Legacy,’ which he will also write and direct. But that doesn’t mean that Gunn hasn’t already cast some actors in a few roles.
While speaking with Grillo for ‘One Day as a Lion,’ we asked the actor what project he was excited to work on next and the actor dropped this bomb:
“I’m excited to go play with James Gunn in the DC Universe, believe it or not. He’s got some great ideas and we’re going to go and have some fun there. That’s about as much as I can say without getting fired, I think. James Gunn and Peter Safran they got some great things happening over there, and James called me and said, “It’s ready for you. We’re ready for you to come work at DC and we have a great project.” It is a really cool thing and some amazing people are attached to it. I think James and Peter are going to rock the world with DC.”
We followed up by asking the actor if the project he is talking about will start shooting soon, and if we can expect official casting announcements shortly:
“I think so, as we gear up to do it, which is in the next month, they’ll probably release more. And those guys are the opposite of Marvel. They’re like, “Let’s talk about it. Let’s get it out there. Let’s have fun.” It’s far less constricting. I almost got fired from ‘Captain America’ at least a dozen times because I didn’t know the routine. But these guys are much cooler.”
While the actor was vague about what DC project he would be working on, simple deduction says it’s probably ‘Superman: Legacy,’ since he mentioned the project should start shooting next month, and that is the first film planned for the new DC Universe. It’s also easy to think Grillo is referring to ‘Superman’ because he specifically said, “I’m excited to go play with James Gunn,” who is writing and directing ‘Legacy.’
However, since Gunn is also the co-chairman of DC Studios, and in theory would be involved in any project they are planning, Grillo could be referring to another DC Universe project. Maybe the upcoming TV series ‘Waller’ with Viola Davis or even the movie ‘The Brave and the Bold,’ which will center on Batman and Robin, and Grillo would make a fantastic Dark Knight.
There is also a strong possibility that Grillo has been cast in the HBO Max animated series ‘Creature Commandos,’ which could be starting production shortly as well. If that is the case, then it will only be a voice role at first, but Gunn’s plan is for the same voice actors to also play their characters in live-action eventually.
Fuel was added to this theory when Grillo recently posted to Instagram that he and ‘Hellboy‘ actor Ron Perlman “did a little film together a while back,” over an image of a DC casting rumor article continuing to say, “Could this be two,” indicating that he and Perlman have another project coming soon that may be DC related. Rumor is that Grillo would voice Rick Flag Sr., father of Joel Kinnaman‘s Rick Flag Jr. from ‘Suicide Squad‘ and Gunn’s own ‘The Suicide Squad,‘ with Perlman voicing Eric Frankenstein.
However, Grillo’s post specifically indicates that his DC project with Perlman is there second “film” together, which would rule out the series ‘Creature Commandos,’ so its entirely possible both actors are attached to a DC Universe movie, and again, ‘Superman: Legacy’ is the obvious choice.
In one last effort to get Grillo to spill the beans, we asked the actor if the project he was talking about involved a character that was from another planet and sent to Earth as a baby (clearly referring to Superman). Grillo replied:
“You might be on the right track … or you might not.”
Frank Grillo as Pauly Russo in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Who is Frank Grillo?
Frank Grillo has been a fixture on television and in films for over two decades. You’d recognize him from such popular TV programs as ‘The Shield,’ ‘Prison Break,’ ‘Kingdom,’ and ‘Billions.’
But Grillo is probably best known for his work in two extremely popular franchises, ‘The Purge’ and Marvel Studios. He played Sgt. Leo Barnes in ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ and ‘The Purge: Election Year,’ and in the MCU portrayed Brock Rumlow/Crossbones in ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier,’ ‘Captain America: Civil War,’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame.’
Whether or not Frank Grillo will really be in ‘Superman: Legacy’ is truly yet to be known, but it will be interesting to see if the actor makes the move from Marvel to DC.
UPDATE:
The mystery has been solved! We now know, via The Wrap, that Grillo will in fact be voicing Rick Flag Sr. in the ‘Creature Commandos’ animated series that James Gunn has planned as part of his “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters” initial phase of the new DC movie and TV universe.
‘Creature Commandos’, which features a motley crew of beasts and others who go on missions, a little like an even weirder ‘Suicide Squad.’
And talking of, Rick Flag Sr served in the original Suicide Squad, a World War II unit, and later joined Task Force X after the war. He is a highly skilled soldier and strategist, with a strong sense of duty and loyalty to his country. Flag is often portrayed as a no-nonsense, by-the-book type of character, who is willing to make tough decisions in order to achieve his objectives.
Not too much is known about the series so far, save that Gunn has written all the episodes and it’s in production now. His brother Sean Gunn will be voicing –– if the guttural sounds he makes can be said to be a “voice” –– Weasel from the ‘The Suicide Squad’ and we can expect more casting news in the coming weeks and months.
And Gunn is looking to have actors play the roles across animation and live-action, so chances are Grillo will be showing up elsewhere in the DC universe in future.
‘One Day as a Lion’ is now available in select theaters and will be available On Digital and On Demand on April 7, 2023.
To watch our video interviews with Frank Grillo, director John Swab, and screenwriter and actor Scott Caan about their new film ‘One Day as a Lion,’ please click on the video player below.
(Left) Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa in ‘Justice League.’ (Right) Benedict Cumberbatch, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo in ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’
With ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ speeding towards us all like a raccoon with an out-of-control rocket pack, writer/director James Gunn is out on the press tour.
It’s an issue that might be impossible for another Marvel filmmaker to so much as speculate upon, but Gunn is a special case: he’s also the boss of DC Studios, overseeing Warner Bros. Discovery’s DC comic book output on TV and in theaters.
What did James Gunn say about the potential for a DC/Marvel crossover?
Given his close working relationship with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and that DC powerbase, Gunn is uniquely qualified to make it happen (though of course, you have to wonder if the corporate overlords at Disney and Warner Bros. would even want it unless it was guaranteed to make lots of money), but even he is being cautious when asked about it.
Here’s what Gunn had to say,
“Who knows? That’s many years away, though. I think we have to establish what we’re doing [at DC] first. I would be lying to say that we haven’t discussed it. But all discussions have been very, very light and fun.”
‘Vol. 3’ represents Gunn’s final stint with the intergalactic characters played by Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Zoe Saldana and more. And with his DC duties, it’s hard to believe he’ll be back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe any time soon. Still, he’s happy to hand over the keys to the ‘Guardians’ to other filmmakers, having previously seen them used by the likes of the Russobrothers and Taika Waititi.
“It would absolutely not be disloyal of them to me to continue on in the Marvel Universe. I would love to see any characters that remain [at the end of the film] get solo movies, or join the Avengers, or a new version of the Guardians or whatever.”
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ will land in theaters on May 5th.
Witten and directed by James Gunn, the Sci-Fi action adventure comedy ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ is scheduled for release from Marvel Studios on May 5th 2023.
(Left) Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account. (Right) Superman. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.com.
While making his big reveal of the various projects he and fellow new DC Studios CEO Peter Safran are planning for the company, James Gunn announced that he was at work on a new movie featuring Superman.
Titled ‘Superman: Legacy’, Gunn dropped word that he was writing the script for the new movie but didn’t confirm then whether he was directing it.
He’s now made it clear that he is indeed going to be overseeing it.
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Why is James Gunn directing ‘Superman: Legacy?’
Taking to Twitter, Gunn offered an insight into the thought process that went into his decision to direct.
Here’s part of what he said:·
“It has been a long road to this point. I was offered Superman years ago –– I initially said no because I didn’t have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved. Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage; how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes. So I chose to finally take on writing the script. But I was hesitant to direct, despite the constant pestering by Peter Safran and others to commit (sorry, Peter). Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude.”
You can read his full twitter thread, including the movie’s emotional connection to his father, here:
But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey. #UpUpandAway
Here’s what Gunn had to say about ‘Legacy’ when first announced:
“With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy. There are really good — almost saintly — people and Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Joker. And then there’s everybody in between them, so there are all these shades of gray which allow us to tell complex stories.”
Though the exact plot is still a mystery, Gunn has previously said that ‘Legacy’ will feature a younger Superman (but will also skip the origin story this time).
But short answer: no, Cavill is no longer part of the plan for DC under Gunn and Safran (though who knows whether they’ll find a place for him going forward).
The search is no doubt already on for someone to play the part, one that we’re sure will be highly sought after by young rising stars and heretofore unknowns. It could be a star-making role for whoever plays Clark Kent/Kal-El.
‘Superman: Legacy’ is currently scheduled to fly into theaters on July 11th, 2025.
(L to R) Director James Gunn and actress Jennifer Holland at the World Premiere of ‘Thor: Ragnarok.’
James Gunn and fellow DC Studios CEO Peter Safran have been teasing for a while what we can expect from the movies, shows and video games that will form part of their planned 8-10 year reboot of the DC onscreen universe. Gunn took to twitter today to make the initial announcement, one which includes new versions of Batman, Superman, Supergirl, Green Lantern and more.
Gunn confirmed that the existing DC movies still to be released––‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods,’ ‘The Flash’, ‘Blue Beetle’ and ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’––are all still on track for release, with the Flash outing and its universe-rebooting nature key to helping to usher in the new shows and movies.
Those films will then lead into what Gunn and Safran are calling ‘Gods and Monsters’, which is a major part (but not all) of the first “Chapter” in their plans. “The one thing that we can promise is that everything from our first project forward will be canon and will be connected,” says Gunn. “We’re using some actors from the past, we’re not using other actors from the past, but everything from that moment forward will be connected and consistent.” It’ll be a mix of TV (both animated and live action) and movies, with games tying in as needed.
Writer, director, co-chairmen and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn. Photo courtesy of James Gunn’s Twitter account.
“DC has had great individual movies over the years, but we think that what the audience really appreciates and needs is a connected universe,” adds Safran. “It minimizes audience confusion and it maximizes their connectivity to it across all the platforms.”
Gunn talked up 10 initial titles. For TV, first up will be the animated ‘Creature Commandos’, which looks to include the likes of Weasel (as seen in Gunn’s move ‘The Suicide Squad’). Gunn has written the first batch of episodes and the plan is for characters to cross between animated and live-action, and for the same actor to both voice and play the role where possible.
There was also confirmation of ‘Peacemaker’ spin-off series ‘Waller’, with Viola Davis reprising her role as the tough wrangler of Task Force X, interacting with some characters from ‘Peacemaker’ (and one from ‘Creature Commandos’). That show will be overseen by Christal Henry, who was a writer on the TV’s ‘Watchmen,’ and Jeremy Carver who created ‘Doom Patrol’. The series will sit between the first and second seasons of ‘Peacemaker’.
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad.’
Those are what Gunn is calling an amuse bouche for the main DCU launch, which will officially start via one of DC’s heavy hitters: Superman. ‘Superman: Legacy’. As he’s previously said, Gunn is writing the new take on the hero, and there is the hope he’ll also direct (though that hasn’t been confirmed yet). And it has a locked in release date of July 11th, 2025. “With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy,” Gunn says. “There are really good—almost saintly—people and Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Joker. And then there’s everybody in between them, so there are all these shades of gray which allow us to tell complex stories.”
That will be followed by ‘Lanterns’, which is the latest iteration of the series that has been in development at HBO Max for a while now. It’ll be an Earth-set series featuring Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart (with others popping up) and is described as ‘True Detective’ with a “terrifying mystery” that ties into the wider universe.
On the movie front again, ‘The Authority’ will utilize characters from the WildStorm Comics Imprint that DC bought. Says Gunn, “It’s a very different kind of superhero story. They are basically good-intentioned, but they think that the world is completely broken and the only way to fix it is to take things into their own hands, whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments—basically, whatever they want to do to make the world better. We’ll see how that journey goes for them.”
Wonder Woman fans are getting ‘Paradise Lost,’ a show set on Themyscira, the birthplace of Princess Diana, and described as ‘Game Of Thrones’ with the Amazons. “It’s an origin story of how this society of women came about. What does it mean? What are their politics like? What are their rules? Who’s in charge? What are the games that they play with each other to get to the top?,” Gunn enthuses. “I think it’s really exciting.” It’s set before Diana is born.
DC Comics’ Damian Wayne/Robin. Photo courtesy of DC.com.
Batman will be all new in the main DCU via movie ‘The Brave And The Bold’, adapting Grant Morrison‘s run, and featuring yet another Bruce Wayne who tries to keep his son, Damien Wayne, in line as Robin. This will launch the “Bat-family” into the movie universe.
‘Booster Gold’ is touted as an HBO series. “I think of it as basically the story of a superhero’s imposter syndrome,” says Gunn. “How do you deal with that? It follows how he tries to use this future technology to be loved by the people of today and what is really at the base of that. It’s a character story that’s going to be a very different type of show, and we’re talking to an actor about it now.”
‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ will be a big-scale sci-fi film based on Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s comic run. It features a “darker, harsher” version of Kara Zor-El raised on a surviving chunk of Krypton who sees everyone around her die.
DC Comics’ Supergirl from writer Tom King’s ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.’ Photo courtesy of DC.com.
Finally, a new ‘Swamp Thing’ movie will be a horror-inflected origin story for the creature, one that still intersects with the rest of the DCU.
What, then, does all this mean for the likes of Matt Reeves’ ‘Batman‘ or Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’ sequel? They will fall under the umbrella title ‘Elseworlds’. “The bar for an Elseworlds tale is going to be higher than the bar for a movie within the DCU,” says Gunn. “Not that we’re not always going to have a high bar, but it’s got to be something really special for us to tell that story outside of our regular continuity and to spend the money to make it.”
“We are actually developing a few other things as well, but for one reason or another, we can’t say them,” Gunn concludes. This is the first batch of stuff, but there may be a couple of surprises to come.”
It’s certainly an ambitious plan. Now we wait and see whether it truly comes to fruition––as previous DC regimes have made bold statements, but haven’t always lasted to see their ideas realized…
DC Comics’ Booster Gold. Photo courtesy of DC.com.
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