from batman wonder womanThe DC film and television studio has failed to match the success of The Walt Disney Company’s Marvel hit factory.
Here are some of our plans. up up and Away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics https://t.co/8XNDNLUEPq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) 1675184743000
“DC’s history is pretty messed up,” said director James Gunn, who directed three “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies for Marvel and was tapped last year to revamp DC Studios. “We’re going to promise that from our first project forward everything is going to be integrated.”
Gunn and DC Studios co-chairman Peter Safran on Monday unveiled a plan to tell a story over eight to 10 years through 10 upcoming film and TV projects inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The first episode, “Gods and Monsters”, uses some of the most famous superheroes from the DC Universe to introduce viewers to a new generation of characters. Gunn said he worked with a team of five writers to sketch a connected story.
At the same time, the studio will release stories that fall outside of this central DC Universe narrative, called the DC Elseworlds, as is the case with comic books. One example is “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-nominated drama.
David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, is hoping to reap the financial rewards of a revitalized DC franchise. The media company’s shares are down 43% over the past year as the company aims to save $3 billion from combining Warner Media and Discovery Communications.
“The stakes are huge,” said Safran, who has produced two “Aquaman” movies and two “Shazam” movies. “This is a brand that was somewhat in chaos, and this is an opportunity to create an extraordinary stand-alone studio.”
DC Studios will offer a spin on the familiar Superman story with “Superman: Legacy,” a story penned by Gunn that examines how the character reconciles his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. It is set to release on July 11, 2025.
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates is also working on a script for “Superman” with a black actor portraying the Man of Steel as part of the DC Elseworlds project.
Also in 2025, DC Studios will release “Batman – Part II”, a sequel starring Robert Pattison, a darker, more adult story that is not part of Gunn’s new imagined “DC Universe”.
Another Batman movie, “The Brave and the Bold,” would introduce the hero’s murdered son as his crime-fighting partner, Robin.
“Lantern,” an eight-hour detective series, is set to stream on HBO Max. Other TV projects include “Waller”, in which Viola Davis reprized her “Suicide Squad” role as Amanda Waller, and “Paradise Lost”, the origin story of Themyscira, the island where Wonder Woman was born.
A television series, “Creature Commandos”, in which Waller forms a black ops team from demonic prisoners, is in production.
While Marvel has become the highest-grossing film franchise in history, DC Studios has had mixed results. A dark “Joker” movie became an Oscar nominee and billion-dollar hit, but “Black Adam” and “Justice League” struggled to generate superhero-sized returns.
Four DC film projects completed before Gunn and Safran took over the studio will be released in theaters this year, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash,” “Blue Beetle” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
Zaslav cut some costs by scrapping a third “Wonder Woman” movie and a “Batgirl” movie that was intended for streaming. The movie division has also cut jobs in marketing and distribution.