These Upcoming DC Projects Aim to Bring ‘Characters to New Generations’
By Movieguide® Contributor
DC fans will have plenty to look forward to as studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran keep busy with a slew of upcoming projects for both the small and big screen.
The first of DC Studios’ movie offerings is SUPERMAN, coming out July 11 and starring David Corenswet as the titular character, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luther.
“We don’t want these characters to die out,” James Gunn said at a press conference. “We want to bring new stories and new life, we want to introduce these characters to new generations. And I think we are doing that, slowly but surely.”
Gunn said this is the perfect timing, with such “polarization in the world” for the Man of Steel, who first appeared in comic book form in 1938, to appear on the big screen.
“I think this is a movie about the values of being human, about kindness and love, and although those are some things some people… don’t like, most all of us really like do that stuff no matter what our other ideological beliefs are,” Gunn said on the “Raiders of the Lost” podcast.
READ MORE: WHY IS THIS DC UNIVERSE SHOW RELEASING BEFORE SUPERMAN?
Meanwhile SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW is currently in production and is set to come out the following summer.
Also in the works is the series LANTERNS, based on the “Green Lantern” comic book characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
One of the challenges that Gunn and Safran faced when taking over DC Studios in 2022 was uniting a “fractured” brand, said Safran.
“The DC brand was being defined by different creative teams at the company, each was pursuing their own distinct vision of the characters, the story…the result was not one DCU but many,” Safran said at the conference. “This fracture proved very challenging to consumers and it chipped away at the identity of the brand.”
“We’ve unified the brand, we’ve greenlit five theatrical films, made three live action series, and are producing five animated series,” Safran added.
DC Studios announced that they hope to make two live-action movies and one animated movie per year. As far as the small screen, they want to make two live-action and two animated series per year.
Gunn says his aim is to make each project a standalone even if they are part of the same DC universe.
“So you can see SUPERMAN, you can watch LANTERNS, without having to see both of them,” he said. “Although if you can, there will be special things in there for people who have seen both.”
Gunn said that a script is in the works for THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD that will feature Batman and his son Damian Wayne.
“Everybody knows I love Batman and it’s important to me so I’m working very closely with the writer on BRAVE AND THE BOLD,” Gunn said.
He squashed rumors of Robert Pattinson, who played the the Dark Night in Matt Reeve’s THE BATMAN in 2022, appearing in BRAVE.
“It’s certainly not the plan,”Gunn said.
“We love him, but we’ve got to introduce a Batman into the DCU. It’s imperative. That’s the plan for THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD,” Safran explained.
While Gunn and Safran “love Matt Reeve’s vision for THE BATMAN,” Reeve’s movie is outside of the DC Universe but part of the Batman Epic Crime Saga.
READ MORE: THE BATMAN REVIEW
The hit series THE PENGUIN, while a DC Studios production and spin-off of the Reeves’ BATMAN universe, is still up in the air for a second season.
“We don’t know. There are a lot of moving pieces, probably most importantly Colin himself. And 800 pounds of makeup,” referring to Colin Farrell who won a SAG award for the playing the titular character.
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