By Turns out the reports of a secret press event on Friday for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios have turned out to be true, with the trades today revealing major updates to the company’s film and TV slate.
The news marks the biggest update to the line-up since Gunn and Safran revealed the ‘Chapter 1: Gods & Monsters” slate back in January 2023, with the pair talking with press for an hour offering updates on basically everything coming from the studio.
The Authority
The biggest film news arguably is that “The Authority” movie is the one from the initially announced slate that seems to have struggled the most with the pair indicating the film has gone to the back burner and likely won’t be out for years to come.
Safran says: “It’s a very, very big movie, if you’re going to do ‘The Authority’ properly. And some story elements perhaps that are in ‘Superman’ and some of the other films that we’ve fast tracked step a little bit on ‘The Authority.’”
Gunn says the script has “had a harder time coming along” which means the film “hasn’t been as much of a priority because it has been subsumed” by everything else.
The Batman Part II
Writer-director Matt Reeves has “yet to turn in a full script” says Safran, then adds “what we have read so far is incredibly encouraging”.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Of the film, which will bring Batman into the DCU, Safran says: “the story is coming together nicely”. Gunn also says it’s “very unlikely” Robert Pattinson would reprise the role for the DCU take on the character. He does, however, not preclude the possibility the new Batman will show up prior to this film: “I wouldn’t rule anything out. He could show up in something else. But the actor doesn’t exist [yet].”
Teen Titans
Asked about the status of the script by Ana Nogueira (“Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow”), Safran says it’s “not ready yet”. Gunn says: “It was something that Ana was really impassioned about, and she turned over an amazing script for us. She’s fiddling with that now, but it’s definitely not a finished script.”
Waller
The “Peacemaker” spinoff series with Viola Davis has hit “a bumpy road” says Gunn and has struggled to land the right script. It was originally going to precede “Peacemaker” Season 2, but as that’s not happened the project has had to be re-conceived.
Clayface
British director James Watkins is indeed in talks to direct this “body horror film” which Gunn says he hopes “works as a pure horror movie for somebody who doesn’t care at all about DC”. Filming begins this Summer with casting underway, and he confirms Alan Tudyk won’t play the role.
Sgt. Rock
Safran points out that Daniel Craig was “never attached” to the film, only floated for the part due to his creative relationship with director Luca Guadagnino. Safran adds: “But, you know, we never met with Daniel. He was just an idea.” Gunn says: “we never really even announced ‘Sgt. Rock’.”
Deathstroke/Bane
Safran confirms Matthew Orton (“Moon Knight”) is working on a script for DC Studios which Gunn calls “something kind of like” a Deathstroke/Bane story.
Booster Gold
They confirmed they are developing the superhero comedy series and were waiting on a “particular showrunner/creator” who had expressed interest in the property. However that person has moved on to something else.
The Penguin: Season 2
Nothing to see here. Safran says: “We don’t know. There are a lot of moving pieces – probably most important Colin himself.” Farrell himself told the outlet this morning he is “in no rush” and “has no deep desire to do it”.
Swamp Thing
Also, nothing to see here. James Mangold’s focus on his Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” has prevented any progress on this.
Paradise Lost
The Themyscira-set “Wonder Woman” prequel series remains in development, nothing new.
Gunn says the pair “remain steadfast in making sure that each of these projects works as a standalone project” but you can see these “iconic characters interacting”.
He adds he has mapped out a six-year plan to tell a wider story that would result in a culminating project akin to Marvel’s “Avengers” film: “It isn’t like they’re chapters of an overall story. They’re characters that are part of an overall story.”
Gunn also says the DC project he’s most looking forward to hasn’t been announced or even rumored yet: “The fact that there’s another…my favorite project nobody even knows about yet. It’s been my favorite project for a few months. Nobody even knows it.”
It won’t be a film with Zack Snyder. Gunn explains that photo from the other day, saying they posted it deliberately knowing the kerfuffle it would cause online: “I was just talking to Zack as a friend. So, you know, we were just hanging out and then we’re like, ‘Let’s take a picture together.’ We knew full well what we were doing… He thought it was funny. I thought it was funny. And that’s that.”
The studio also unveiled a number of animated projects which you can read about in the next article.
Source: Variety
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