Finally, Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran delivered their initial titles for the new DC Slate Chapter One Gods and Monsters. The new DC Universe dawns today.
It covers connections between film and TV that will encompass projects up until the years 2031-2033. Coming from different official trade sites, we take Deadline’s article as it was the first we were able to retrieve.
Ever since November 2022, Gunn and Safran have been butting heads for this slate and here is what we got for you:
The new Co-CEOs are calling the initial instalment titles as ‘Chapter’ quite equivalent to Marvel Studios’ MCU Phases.
Chapter One is Gods and Monsters, which will happen between 2025 to 2027.
Here are just a few of our plans. Up, up, and away! #DCStudios #DCU @DCComics pic.twitter.com/8XNDNLUEPq
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) January 31, 2023
These are the five movies under Chapter One:
- Superman Legacy
- The Brave and The Bold
- Untitled Swamp Thing
- The Authority
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Chapter One also connects television shows, including animated series:
- Creature Commandos is an animated series that Gunn wrote as well
- Waller with Viola Davis pushes through as a Peacemaker spin-off live-action series
- Lanterns series
- Booster Gold
- Paradise Lost
James Gunn and Peter Safran Present DC Slate Gods and Monsters
READ MORE: James Gunn Could Bring Guardians Of The Galaxy Actors To DC
Gunn and Safran got their ideas worked out through a writer’s room comprised of Christina Hodson, Jeremy Slater, Drew Goddard, Christal Henry and Tom King.
These titles and projects are but the first steps to the goal of releasing two movies a year and two series for HBO Max for an 8-10 year plan.
Much like stepping out of the fog and haze, the new DC Slate unravels many possibilities that will cater to fans’ old and hopefully new. Gunn says:
One of our strategies is that we take our diamond characters — Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman– and we use that to help prop up other characters that people don’t know. Like what happened with the Guardians (of the Galaxy) in some way.
Gunn plays up what he does best, and that is bringing new characters into the spotlight together with the mainstream heroes and villains. He continues:
Like taking teams like The Authority, which is I know is just as spectacular idea for a film that is completely different take on superheroes. Because it’s really connected to Superman. It’s about to use those well-known properties to help lead into lesser known properties.
Despite what people are expressing online as to whether DC can genuinely pull off a united universe, Gunn states:
We’re going to promise that everything from our first project forward is going to be unified.
Gunn acknowledges the efforts initiated by the previous CEO, Walter Hamada, for the future of DC Studios. Something some fans may or may not find fascinating in itself. He said:
But we’ve gotten very lucky for the next four projects.
The new Co-CEO pertains to the upcoming movies this year, which are Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17), The Flash (June 16). He emphasized that The Flash,
resets everything. I will say here that Flash is probably one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.
Meanwhile, Safran assures that the new DC Slate will incorporate characters from the past. Particularly he says:
There’s no reason why any of the characters or the actors that play in those characters are not part of the DCU. There’s nothing that prohibits that from happening.
This gives a hint that Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller could still be in the future DCU. It will definitely fans’ disappointment as they have expressed that Henry Cavill is not the Superman they will go for in the future. Safran promises:
We’ll incorporate characters from the past, but mostly we’ll cast anew.
Gunn addresses the big challenge that DC posed, saying:
As everyone here probably knows, the history of DC is pretty messed up. There is the Arrowverse. There as the DC EU which then split became the Joss Whedon Justice League at one point, became the Snyder-verse at the other point. There was Superman and Lois, there’s the Reeves-verse. There’s all these different things.
Even us, we came in and did Suicide Squad and that became Peacemaker and all of a sudden Bat-mite is real guy that’s never been set up.
Primarily, Gunn expressed his concern about how much the intellectual property was valued before.
No one was minding the mint, they were just giving away IP like they were party favors to any creators that smiled to them.
Universes that will be outside the DCU created by the Co-CEOs will belong under the label DC-Elseworlds. This is something that is directly lifted from the comic book practice for years. Safran emphasizes:
The bar is going to be very high for projects outside of the DCU.
A new practice in proceeding with feature productions will be upheld for DCU. Gunn stresses the previous practice of shooting without a complete screenplay is not only a waste of time and money but also compromises the movie’s quality. Gunn explains:
People have become beholden to dates, to holding dates, to getting movies made no matter what. At the end of the day, I’m a writer at my heart, and we’re not going to be making movies before the screenplay is finished.
He commits to this rule of a complete screenplay before making the movie that should it shift their plans, his idea is basically ‘so be it’.
And if that means our plan has to shift a little bit–it’s going to happen, we know it’s going to happen…we’re not going to be making movies and putting hundreds of millions of dollars in a film where a screenplay is only two-thirds of the way done and we have to finish it while we’re making the movie.
He blatantly describes the practice as a mess. In his words:
I’ve seen it happen again and again, and it’s a mess. I think it’s the primary reason for the deterioration in the quality of films today versus 30 years ago.
Gunn proceeded to cite his own works as an example, saying his Suicide Squad did no reshoots and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 only had one day of pick-up shots. He said:
…it’s because of having screenplays prepared before we shoot. I don’t want to get into this massive spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on reshoots.
James Gunn and Peter Safran Ground Rules For DC Slate Gods and Monsters
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
READ MORE: Gal Gadot Not Removed As Wonder Woman Says James Gunn
The Co-CEOs laid out ground rules for the entirety of the DCU film and tv:
- Actors cast for DC TV will play the same character for the film.
- No actor will portray more than one character.
In terms of cost efficiency and effectivity, Safran assures that Warner Bros Discovery will not tighten the DC Studios belt. In fact, he says:
Their investment in content creation is huge. There’s no question we have the resources.
He confidently declares their next order of business is:
We’re going to put these scripts together, get our directors and then discuss with Zaslav what the appropriate spend is on each of these. I have zero doubt that they will commit appropriate funds on each one.
Safran had his determined countenance when he said:
Stakes are enormous. It was a brand in chaos and it’s an opportunity to build an extraordinary standalone studio with the best IP and the best stories in the world.
The first pages of the new DC slate is here in Gods and Monsters. Do you think they are off to a great start? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
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