Before the reins were handed over to James Gunn and Peter Safran, now co-heads of DC Studios and who are spearheading the rebooted DC Universe (DCU), things hardly looked up for Warner Bros. Discovery and its DC Comics banner. Even the most popular superheroes couldn’t keep up with Marvel Studios’ whirlwind of success (during their peak, at least), but the slump may soon be over.
An in-depth report by Wall Street Journal has detailed behind-the-scenes happenings between then and now, including past struggles and potential plans for the future. As Gunn’s Superman takes flight on the silver screen, the hope is to reignite interest in DC projects, with Warner executives eyeing an opening global gross of over US$500 million. It’s a high-stakes game, and the filmmaker isn’t afraid to take up the challenge — or so it seems.
According to the outlet, a source revealed that Gunn is considering TV spin-offs for Mr. Terrific and Jimmy Olsen, Clark Kent’s best friend at The Daily Planet, following their introduction in the superhero pic. This is reportedly part of a broader plan to re-establish all of DC’s most iconic characters and assemble them for a new Justice League movie, with the output objective consisting of two live-action films, multiple TV shows, and one animated show per year.
The feature piece also shed light on cancelled ideas, such as a Robin series set in Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ black Superman film, which was allegedly canned because of “woke” content, whatever that means (and an absurd reason in itself, considering that Superman has plenty to explore about real-world issues).
Another notable point was that Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav was in talks with The Rock to fix DC, but talks fell through after the disappointing box office showing of 2022’s Black Adam, which starred the professional wrestler as the titular superhero.
But first, Henry Corenswet’s Man of Steel has the unenviable task of living up to fans’ expectations. The second reboot of the Superman film series follows the Last Son of Krypton as he proves to the world that he is their protector after billionaire Lex Luthor (David Hoult, the X-Men movies) conducts a plan to turn public opinion against him. Other character appearances in Superman include Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced, Alien: Romulus), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi, House), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan, Barry), and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion, Firefly).
The highly anticipated flick serves as the launchpad for Chapter One of DC Studios’ rebooted cinematic universe, followed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in June 2026, Clayface in September 2026, The Authority (TBA), The Brave and the Bold, and Swamp Thing.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
