Cognition Dissemination: This Is What DC Studios Needed

A familiar ritual occur every time a DC film and non-CW Network TV show is announced, one that involves plenty of people asking what universe the work will occur in. The Snyderverse, which launched with Man of Steel nearly a decade ago, was an attempt to establish that. But that first movie stumbled out the gate with an underwhelming critical reception. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice further wounded the universe with its reception, and Justice League permanently hobbled it. DC and Warner Bros. have suffered from poor management for years, but director Zack Snyder himself isn’t blameless. The Ultimate Edition of BvS and Zack Snyder’s Justice League were improvements over the stripped theatrical version of the former and laid-bare Joss Whedon-directed theatrical iteration of the latter, but the quality increases weren’t major enough to save the universe from doom.

This is why it is now time to start anew. Warner Bros. Discovery’s crew has assigned James Gunn and Peter Safran the task to assemble a new shared and cohesive universe for the future of DC entertainment, and the plans for Chapter 1, the “Gods and Monsters” arc, are precisely what their future needed.

The fun will begin with Superman: Legacy, due for release in July 2025, and continue cinema-wise with the likes of The Authority (absolutely a choice made by Gunn given his style), The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and a literal Swamp Thing theatrical film. Superman: Legacy and The Brave and the Bold will, notably, introduce a Superman who isn’t Henry Cavill and a Batman who isn’t Ben Affleck or Robert Pattinson, which I’m sure has already led to intriguing guessing games. The Brave and the Bold should have more in common with Grant Morrison’s comic run instead of the animated series, though the latter would better fit Gunn’s familiar style. They’ll have to distinguish it from Matt Reeves’ The Batman somehow.

The fun will continue on TV with Waller, a series with Viola Davis reprising the role of the Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller that will take place between the first two Peacemaker seasons. Another is the Creature Commandos animated series (another very obvious Gunn choice, who has completed the scripts), which might be the first of these projects to arrive. The character design style is reminiscent of the Invincible animated series, and the production team is specifically looking for actors who can also portray the characters in live-action when the time comes. The Lanterns series that’s been in development for too long now will arrive as part of the DCU, as will a Paradise Lost series set on Themyscira, and Booster Gold (yet another clear Gunn choice).

This is a good plan, with a series of works that will make it easy to distinguish what takes place in the newly-established DC Cinematic Universe or in what’s being referred to as DC Elseworlds. Heck, continuing latter works will even bear that label, like sequel The Batman: Part II (due October 2025), Joker: Folie à Deux (due October 2024), and the still-in-development Superman movie written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, alongside the tie-in TV shows to The Batman. Not among these is Batgirl, which Safran mentioned was “not releasable.” Can you imagine how the “talented people” behind the movie’s production feel after hearing that? Still, it’s a mostly-solid series of homeruns as far as the plans are concerned.

Interestingly, and perhaps infuriatingly, Gunn and Safran aren’t entirely parting ways with a select number of actors. The opportunities for Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Zachary Levi to reprise their roles of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash, and Shazam, respectively, are being left open. Considering Gal Gadot’s views on Israel and Palestine and acting skills (or lack thereof), Miller’s myriad off-camera issues, and Levi’s very recent likely antivaxx tweet, it’s a headscratcher. For now, I’m choosing to believe that the duo is refusing to take a stance regarding Miller and Levi before The Flash and Shazam: Fury of the Gods release in theaters on June 16th and March 17th, respectively.

Video games will also be included as part of this plan for the new DC Universe, but there are big questions as to how that could work. Games don’t tend to feature A-lister movie talent unless they’re named “Grand Theft Auto” or have the actors in minor cameo-style roles, meaning these would have to be for side games starring more minor characters if they’re not willing to pay through the nose. Expect a bunch of games to release as part of that “DC Elseworlds” line, likely including that upcoming Wonder Woman game from Monolith Productions.

It’s one matter to have solid plans, but it will eventually be another to execute them well. A writers room as been assembled to build the overarching plans for the story, including the likes of Drew Goddard (of The Martian), Jeremy Slater (of Moon Knight), and Christina Hobson (of The Flash and Batgirl), but little is currently known about the teams that will work directly on the shows. Gunn himself will direct and perhaps write some, like Creature Commandos and maybe Superman: Legacy film, but the rest will be revealed in due time. We’ll see if, for instance, the talks with James Mangold to direct Swamp Thing result in him landing the role. It’s also a shame that a sequel to The Suicide Squad isn’t among these, but at least more is happening in that corner of the universe.

There will be stumbles along the way, as there always are, but the new DC Universe is the best idea going forward. DC Studios will have finally found their equivalent to Marvel Studios’ Kevin Fiege if Gunn and Safran are similarly capable of maintaining a consistent schedule (with a plan for two movies and two shows per year) with largely consistent quality. The Snyderverse had its time in the limelight, but all initiatives must end eventually. It’s time to move on now.

(I’m well aware that the “Restore the Snyderverse” types will never, ever move on, but they were never as big a group as they thought they were. That’s too bad.)