Spoiler alert: This article discusses several surprise cameos from “Black Adam"There’s a new captain at the head of DC’s ship; or rather, a pair of co-captains. Yes, after a long search and years of the DC film division feeling completely directionless as it was passed from one executive to another, things are finally starting to look up for the iconic comic book label. After working with DC on The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been hired as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly named DC Studios. The duo will be in charge of basically everything for DC’s on-screen presence. They will oversee the new studio’s various film, television and animation projects, with the goal of bringing it all together under one cohesive voice and mission.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
The Kevin Feige comparisons are unavoidable. Fans have been saying that DC needs its own Feige-like figure for years now. While various executives, ranging from Walter Hamada to Geoff Johns, have tried their hand at filling that role, none of them have really fulfilled the duties that are asked of such a role. Now, with Gunn and Safran in charge, DC fans are optimistic. Through his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the aforementioned projects The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Gunn has long-established his deep love and passion for these kinds of comic-book characters and stories. Safran, on the other hand, has proven his abilities as a producer throughout his work on the various films of the Conjuring franchise as well as a number of DC projects including Aquaman, Shazam!, and Gunn’s DC outings.
Under the newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery, CEO David Zaslav has been consistent in his feelings that the DC brand has been undervalued and underutilized. By bringing in Gunn and Safran, WBD is setting the stage for a complete re-haul of the creative approach to DC. Gunn will operate as the chief creative mind while Safran handles much of the business side of the operation. It looks to be a good set-up for what could become a new era for DC, which is already being projected through the changing of the franchise name from the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) to the simplified DCU (DC Universe). Here’s what the future of the DCU might look like with Gunn and Safran at the wheel.
Building Off the DCEU
Warner Bros. Pictures
The biggest implication of this announcement is that any talk of a complete reboot for the DC brand is likely off the table. With how much of an unfocused mess the DCEU has become, many fans have found it hard to really follow the DC cinematic universe or to see if there was really any throughline to it whatsoever. While some fans had hoped that the entire thing would be scrapped, with a new universe established either on its own or built off Matt Reeves’ The Batman, the odds of that look slim now. That is because Gunn’s two previous DC projects existed within the loose continuity of the DCEU. The Suicide Squad featured numerous returning characters from previous films, such as Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller, while Peacemaker built on that with cameos from Jason Momoa’s Aquaman and Ezra Miller’s The Flash.
It is incredibly unlikely that Gunn would erase the stories and characters that he guided from the continuity of a universe that he is now in charge of. If anything, there’s a good chance that many of these characters’ futures are now brighter than ever. A second season of Peacemaker was already green-lit a while ago, but you can now expect that Robbie’s Harley Quinn will also be appearing again sooner than later. Plus, with the inclusion of Davis’s Waller and Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt in Black Adam, the events of that film are also likely to be important to the DCU moving forward. Waller seems to be set up as a central governmental figure to the DCU, meaning that will likely also appear in many different DC projects from here on out.
Basically, pretty much everything DC has done from Man of Steel til now is still going to be DCU canon in some fashion moving forward. It has long been rumored that some form of a soft reset is coming with the events of The Flash film next year, so expect much of this established timeline to be slimmed down and more solidly restructured so that Gunn and Safran have a more stable platform to build on. The major benefit of that, though, is that it probably means that it won’t be a terribly long wait before major characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are on-screen again. Henry Cavill’s Superman already made his long-awaited reappearance at the end of Black Adam, and Ben Affleck’s Batman has also been confirmed to appear in both The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom next year.
Differentiating from Marvel and Embracing the Source Material
WarnerMedia Direct
What is arguably the most exciting part of the hiring of Gunn and Safran is precisely that; two of them were hired. The entirety of the DCU isn’t being placed upon one person’s shoulders. While that has worked wonders for the MCU with Feige, not every producer is Kevin Feige. The man is a rare breed in Hollywood, as he has the love for the Marvel source material, the producing experience to make it happen, and the creative mind to weave it all together. That’s a big ask for any one person to take on. By splitting the job and giving it to two immensely talented individuals who have already proven they can work well together, WBD is setting DC up for the kind of success that the brand should have been experiencing for years now.
Through The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, and the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Gunn has proven time and time again that he has a relentless love for comic-book characters and the pages from which they originate. Not only that, but he’s shown that he also has a knack for bringing those characters to life in a way that embraces their individual oddities while still appealing to general audiences. If Gunn and Safran can apply the lessons they’ve learned from their previous works to the DC brand, then the new projects produced by DC Studios will begin to see the franchise really live up to its potential.
Gunn has spent a lot of time working under the umbrella of the MCU, and he knows exactly how strict some of the MCU’s guidelines can be. While Marvel has certainly explored different genres within its universe, many of the stories and characters of the MCU have begun to feel more and more similar with time. It’s the infamous Marvel formula at work. Very few directors are able to really leave their own stamp on a Marvel project, with Gunn and Ryan Coogler being a few of the rare exceptions. In the joint statement released by Gunn and Safran after their hiring, they specifically highlighted that they wanted to embrace the distinct voices of the directors they would work with. They said, “We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved.” If they are able to follow through on that sentiment, then the DCU should have no problem differentiating itself from the MCU.
Realizing the Potential of the Brand
Warner Bros. Pictures
DC is one of the two major superhero powerhouses in the world of comic books and comic book movies. Their only real competition is Marvel, and, frankly, it’s somewhat embarrassing just how badly DC has been losing the fight against Marvel and the MCU over the last ten years. Instead of building out the DCEU from major characters like Batman and Superman, or continuing to keep the Justice League active and alive in audiences’ minds, the previous leadership at DC has been more than willing to put those characters away and let them wither away on the bench. This was all happening while seemingly random films like Birds of Prey and Black Adam were produced instead. While this year’s standalone The Batman was an incredible film, the character of Batman needs to be a staple part of the DCU, even if that means allowing Affleck and Robert Pattinson to play the character in different continuities at the same time.
It is obvious to much of the new creative team of the DCU that the universe has been squandering because of a clear lack of direction and aspiration. Thankfully, Gunn and Safran know this. They know that the Justice League and those major characters are crucial to the success of the DCU. Gunn even tried to get the entire team to cameo in Peacemaker before he eventually had to settle for just a few of them, with only Aquaman and the Flash actually showing their faces. Now that he’s in charge, Gunn can bring all of those characters back and give them their long-due place of importance within the DCU. Even the newest super-powered addition to the universe, Dwayne Johnson, knows how much fans have been wanting to see these core characters on screen again, which is why he fought so hard to get Cavill’s Superman to cameo in Black Adam.
Currently, the DCU already has four films set for release next year; those being Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Beyond those films, other projects such as the second season of Peacemaker and a standalone series based on Davis’s Amanda Waller are in the works. Other films, such as sequels to Man of Steel, Wonder Woman 1984, Black Adam, and The Flash, have all been reported to be in some stage of development, but it’s not clear when (or if) they will actually come out. Expect Gunn and Safran to come in and clear out many of the projects in development in order to start fresh in 2024 with whatever films they decide to give the green light to. With that new direction, it’s likely that Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, and other core DC characters will be prioritized in addition to other smaller spin-off films and shows like Peacemaker.
