James Gunn Promises a ‘New’ DC Movie and TV Universe

Strange but true: The guy in charge of the world of DC movies (along with producer Peter Safran) is James Gunn, the writer and director of such movies as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. Gunn and Safran are now the CEOs of DC Studios — and the first men to hold those titles — and so they are beginning the process of reshaping the DC Cinematic Universe.

So what are they going to do? It will take years for any of their plans to come to fruition, but Gunn is already tweeting about being on the job. In a thread he posted this weekend, he wrote that he and Safran are “listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey” but noted that his initial focus going forward is “hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects.”

It could have just been an oversight, but it is interesting that Gunn only referred to it as the “DCU” not the “DCEU” or DC Extended Universe, which has been the official term for the web of interconnected DC movies released since Man of Steel in 2013. (Those films include Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the recent Black Adam, and the upcoming The Flash.) When Gunn says he’s hammering out a “new DCU” does that mean literally they’re starting a whole new universe with a new continuity and history, or simply a turn of phrase because with he and Safran in charge, they’re moving in new direction? It’s not clear.

The next WBD movie based on DC Comics, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, is scheduled to open in theaters on March 17, 2023. Meanwhile, Gunn’s next film is for Marvel, not DC, as he’s got Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 coming to theaters next year. (He’s also got a Guardians holiday special on Disney+ before that as well. Those press tours should be interesting.)