James Gunn Marks DC Universe 'Gods And Monsters' Reveal Anniversary

Things probably aren’t exactly the same as they were a year ago

It was a year ago Wednesday, January 31, 2023 when Warner Bros. and DC released a video starring DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. In the video, Gunn unveiled the ten projects that would comprise the first chapter of the new DC Universe, “Gods & Monsters”. I was given the honor of writing the article covering it when I was at CultureSlate, and it happening on my birthday I felt attached to such a pop culture moment. Now a year later, Gunn marked the anniversary by giving gratitude, but also giving a status update on Threads.

He wrote “One year ago today Peter Safran & I introduced our DC slate for the 1st time - thanks to all of you for the support you’ve given us throughout the year. Today, Superman: Legacy is about to start production, episodes of Creature Commandos are being finished that will be released later this year, at least 2 more projects are gearing up to go in the next couple of months, amazing scripts keep coming in, & incredible talent are being attached to new projects, planned & unplanned. Thank you!! 🙏 🧜‍♂️ DCStudios” Of course, a lot of it is vague for obvious reasons, things that aren’t ready to be revealed. Accessible as he is, he was asked about the frequent merman emoji usage and he replied “Those who know, know”.

While most were congratulatory, enthusiastic, and giving suggestions, one person got him to cast doubt on Supergirl’s debut being in Legacy. He responded "I never even said she was in the movie." thought it could be obfuscation to get off the trail. Yours truly probably had the most substantial question he answered. I asked, “A year later does it look like more projects will enter the chapter, or did the strikes ensure that wouldn’t happen?” Now two things were running through my mind when I asked this, and they were both Marvel-related. First, COVID disruptions have moved What If…? episodes out of the seasons they were born in. Second, we know that Marvel Phases are elastic enough to allow for additions. Phase Three was announced on October 28, 2014. That’s not only 8 months before the release and success of Ant-Man bringing Ant-Man and the Wasp into the fray, but three months before the Spider-Man deal with Sony, who does the Spider-Man reveals anyway so the 2019 and 2022 showcases have always had those…ghosts? Granted post-No Way Home Spidey doesn’t have anything solid yet. Anyway, a third thing hit as this was being written: Deadpool 3 was also revealed after San Diego Comic-Con 2022, where only the Fantastic 4 and the two Avengers films were the only revealed Phase Six films. Now, Deadpool 3 is a Phase Five film and Thunderbolts and Blade are Phase Six due to the prolonged work stoppages of the past summer (and Blade’s troubles predating them). It is because of this that there was always a possibility that “Gods and Monsters” would be just as fluid.

Lo and behold, Gunn responded, saying “Some things have shifted around - some projects now earlier, others later, & other new projects are being developed. Like I said from the beginning, we are going to put things in production based on when we have a great script, & nothing else. And luckily we’ve had some great scripts take us by surprise. DCStudios” While there are no specifics here, it does confirm fluidity is in play and may explain the speed by which Supergirl was cast. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow was the fourth of the five films revealed, with a timeline that goes to the end of 2027, and as he implied in his response, they were in order of release as they stood at the time. While Swamp Thing and The Brave and the Bold have attached directors, they don’t have any cast or writers attached. It’s very possible that Woman of Tomorrow could move into third position. The ties to Superman: Legacy that The Authority boasts might make it difficult to move out of second. And nothing has been revealed of the live-action series since the video. Don’t be surprised if more animated projects get smuggled in there.

The other series that are known to be part of this first chapter are Waller, the second season of Peacemaker, a True Detective-esque drama Lanterns, the Themyscira-set Game of Thrones-like Paradise Lost, and a Booster Gold series. Patience is key as more gets revealed over this year and next. The chapter’s soft launch Creature Commandos is set for a Q3 premiere from the way Gunn has been talking about it, before the hard launch with Superman: Legacy on July 11, 2025.

Source: Threads