A different route forward for DC universe

3 Feb - Several months after James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired to be the new DC Studios' bosses, the duo finally unveiled several new projects for the DC Universe.

In a small meeting with reporters on 30 January, Gunn and Safran revealed that their strategy is to take their "diamond characters" - Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman - and use them to prop up other characters that people don't know.

James Gunn and Peter Safran "at work"

Among the new projects that will come out for now are:

• The Man of Steel movie "Superman: Legacy" that Gunn is writing and may direct, though Safran stressed that it would not be an origin story. "It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned," he said.

• "Creature Commandos", a seven-episode animated series written by Gunn about a team of classic monsters fighting Nazis.

• "Waller", a spinoff of "Peacemaker" in which Viola Davis's character from "Suicide Squad" returns as the morally ambiguous head of a task force.

"Waller" to have her own show

• The Green Lantern-related show, "Lanterns", which will feature Lantern heroes Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

• "The Brave and the Bold", which Gunn said will be an introduction of DCU Batman, as well as Robin/Damian Wayne. Batman in this case will not be played by Robert Pattinson, though the two studio heads said that the "Batman" sequel will continue with Pattinson in the role.

• "Paradise Lost", which will be a HBO Max series set on the all-female island Themyscira where Wonder Woman hails from. Gunn and Safran described it as "Game of Thrones"-style drama.

A show about Themyscira in the style of "Game of Thrones"

No official dates have been announced for any of these projects, except for "Superman: Legacy", which will be released in 2025. Said Gunn, "We are not going to put hundreds of millions of dollars into 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. I've seen it happen again and again and it's a mess."