James Gunn calls out DC’s ‘f***ed up’ history as he announces new Superman movie in ‘unified’ plan

Studio’s new co-CEO has outlined a thorough plan, including first 10 projects

James Gunn has promised a more “unified” DC future going forward, outlining an extensive plan.

It’s been three months since Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran took over DC studios in October, and in their first official meeting with the press on Monday (30 January), the two shared their vision, which includes 10 new projects.

Gunn argued that much of the company’s former disarray came from its loose policy regarding intellectual property.

“The history of DC is pretty f***ed up,” he said (via Variety). “They were just giving away IP like they were party favours to any creators.

“What we are going to do is we’re going to promise that everything from our first project forward is going to be unified. But we will say that we’ve gotten very lucky [inheriting these] next four projects.”

In the pair’s first foray into the DC universe, their new Superman: Legacy movie will mark “the start of the DCU”, according to Safran.

Releasing on 11 July 2025, it will pick things up from the forthcoming Aquaman 2, one of the four films already greenlit by the previous DC/Warner Bros bosses.

The others include Blue Beetle, Shazam! and The Flash.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ filmmaker James Gunn has become the new co-head of DC Studios (Getty Images)

Safran disclosed that it will not be a superhero origin story, instead saying it will focus “on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing”.

Both confirmed that neither a director nor an actor has yet been chosen. However, fans have already begun speculating who will be the next to don the red cape.

Superman: Legacy will directly bleed into The Authority, an ensemble film about a group of superhumans who have a less-than-idealistic approach to protecting the world. It’s currently “being written now”, with a release yet to be determined.

Next will come The Brave and the Bold, DCU’s own introduction to the Bat Family, which will be separate from Matt Reeves’ Robert Pattinson The Batman iteration.

Corresponding with the latter will be Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, featuring Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, “a very different type of Supergirl”.

Following up with their final movie update, they shared that will seek to expand the universe in Swamp Thing, “a much more horrific film” used to “investigate the dark origins” of the humanoid/plant creature.

As for TV, the co-CEOs listed animated series Creature Commandos and Waller (a continuation of Peacemaker, which has since been placed on hold), with both expected to debut sometime before Superman: Legacy.

Lanterns, which Gunn described as “in the same vein of True Detective”, a Game of Thrones–esque Paradise Lost and comedy Booster Gold, will make up the final three TV projects.