Yesterday, during a very confidential press conference about the future of the DCU, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed part of their two-chapter plan for a storyline that’ll develop for about ten years. And while there’s still much we don’t know about the new DCU, Gunn and Safran underlined how they already know exactly which movies and TV shows they’ll develop over the next decade.
Gunn and Safran took control of DC Studios last year, when they were tasked with creating an ambitious unified storyline across film, TV, video games, and animation. Yesterday, the creative duo finally revealed part of their plan by announcing ten new movies and TV shows, some already in production. It’s an exciting slate that includes DC powerhouses such as Superman and Batman but also spreads the love towards relatively unknown teams like the Creature Commandos and The Authority. And while we are still feeling overwhelmed by so much content being developed at the same time by DC Studios, Safran assures fans, “this is not all of chapter one.” As they revealed today, the first chapter in the new age of DC Studios will be titled Gods and Monsters.
Gunn and Safran’s plan for the DCU promises to make fans happy for many years. And the best thing is that DC Studios’ co-heads have already planned every single project of the DCU’s next decade. So, while we can only know part of Chapter 1 for the moment, Gunn underlines how “We're not doing what some TV shows have done. We're not making it up as we go along.” After so many years of chaotic development and decentralized production, it seems like the DCU will finally become a cinematic universe worth following obsessively.
What Happens After the First Two DCU Chapters?
Gunn and Safran were hired to tell a unified story, and that’s exactly what they’ll be doing for the next eight to ten years. During the press conference, the duo also confirmed the two-chapter DCU story has a clear ending, even if the DCU can move forward after that. As Gunn puts it, “We already know the eight to ten-year plan [are these] two chapters, and there's an ending to our basic story that we tell there, but it's not the ending of the universe.” So, it seems like DC Studios is taking note of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by planning a major storyline on the molds of the “Infinity Saga.” It’s a winning strategy for sure, especially since the new DCU also involves animation and gaming.
Of course, developing so many projects simultaneously takes a toll on Gunn and Safran, which means they prefer to focus on the two-chapter story for now instead of wondering where the future might lead. In Gunn’s words, “I'm already tired. I'm already tired within two months. But those first two chapters are worked out. And then it can keep going after.” While it’s easy to understand how fans can worry about what comes next, it’s excellent that Gunn and Safran are entirely focused on a single cohesive storyline for the time being. And if they deliver everything they’ve promised, that’ll already be the best thing to happen to DC in decades.