The new DC Universe franchise has some specific release goals, according to James Gunn and Peter Safran. Following the launch of Creature Commandos in 2024, the DCU franchise is getting ready to go bigger across the big and small screens from DC Studios. With the many DCU Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters” movies and TV shows that are on the way, it is bringing a new era of superheroes in live-action and animation.
One of the main driving factors for the DCU timeline is the leadership of Gunn and Safran as the DC Studios co-CEOs, who recently held a press event with ScreenRant in attendance, where they opened up more about the process of elevating the DC brand. One of the big aspects that was discussed was their strategy for how films and shows would be released by DC Studios, and what kind of numbers to expect release-wise, as Safran and Gunn shared the following:
Peter Safran: Our promise to David Zaslav when he entrusted us with the future of this crown jewel IP was to really honor the legacy that came before us and build upon it. And that’s also a promise to the fans who love these characters, and equally to those that have yet to experience the magic and the power of this incredible canon. We’re doing everything in our power to deliver on that promise now.
For us, that doesn’t mean confining our projects to just one single genre. We don’t serve just one kind of audience, so why make just one kind of film? Our unified approach frees us to tell a diversity of stories across a full spectrum of genres and scales, from tentpole events like Superman to family animated fare like Dynamic Duo to indie-style chillers like Clayface.
Our production goal is two live-action films and one animated film per year. We’re also targeting two live-action and two animated series for Max per year. Working in a mulтιтude of genres affords us the opportunity to allocate resources where they have the biggest impact, and to budget according to the demands of the story and also the revenue expectations of each тιтle.
James Gunn: As we’ve talked about before, each one of these projects that we’re doing needs to be able to stand alone. Somebody needs to be able to go see Superman without having to have seen Creature Commandos. Somebody’s going to have to watch Lanterns without necessarily having to then watch Superman.
We have great connectivity between these things. There is a lot of connectivity between Superman and Peacemaker, including a few actors. You take the character of Rick Flagg, who starts out in Creature Commandos as one character and goes to Superman, continues to evolve and change, [or] he starts out as a protagonist of one show and ends up as basically the antagonist of season 2 of Peacemaker. We get to see these characters and how they evolve and change in our stories the same way people do in real life.
…We want to continue to have these stories connected but not completely dependent on each other, although we are telling a larger story that’ll last a little bit of time. And all the primary actors, again, will be playing the characters from television to animation and so forth.
What Gunn And Safran’s Comments On Brand Unity Mean For The DCU
A huge challenge that was lying ahead of them when they got the gig of running DC Studios was to help restore the IPs, following many years of the DC Films division’s lack of direction and overall strategy. During the event, Safran also added that the DC brand was being stretched too thin across different corners at Warner Bros. Discovery without an actual game plan. For DC Studios, both with upcoming DC movies and TV shows, it is key to “bringing DC together under a single narrative,” as Safran said the following:
Peter Safran: When we first took the reins a little over two years ago, the DC brand was being defined by different creative teams at the company… The result was not one DCU but many, and ultimately this fracture proved very challenging to consumers, and it chipped away at the very idenтιтy of our brand. This, in part, is what brought us to DC Studios. Bringing a sense of unity, consistency, and cohesion to this universe not only makes sense to us as storytellers, but it really has to be the future of the entire DC brand.
People want to see these iconic characters interacting. They want to experience this timeless IP as one. And to us, bringing DC together under a single creative vision has always been the key. That’s basically where we are two years into the journey. We’ve unified the brand, we’ve greenlit 5 theatrical films, we’ve made 3 live-action series, and we’re producing five animated shows. We also acquired and distributed a BAFTA and PGA award-winning documentary, and we really hope that we’re delivering on your expectations of us.
It’s crucial to remember that, prior to the DCU timeline, there were both the DCEU movie franchise, as well as multiple DC TV universes happening at the same time. However, the film side was constantly facing creative shake-ups, which slowly became evident in the products that would come out in 2020 and beyond. From the many changes to scripts and direction for their franchise, DC Studios is attempting to avoid all of those errors by having a more streamlined creative drive, which also appears to be reflected in their specific numercial goals for the amount of releases per year.
Our Take On Gunn And Safran’s DCU Comments
From Gunn and Safran’s commentary about what they hope to accomplish with the DCU, it’s encouraging to hear that there is a bigger focus on avoiding the chaos that heavily affected DC’s live-action properties, and that there are specific plans in mind for each year. It is clear how projects are being greenlit, as a movie or TV show will not move forward until they have landed on a solid script and vision for said character. As the DCU gets ready to go forward more in 2025 and beyond, it will be exciting to see how the franchise performs across TV and film.
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
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Superman
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
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Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Release Date
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June 26, 2026
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The Batman Part II
- Release Date
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October 1, 2027
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