The DCU is a soft reboot of a previous franchise, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), retaining select cast members and narrative elements but disregarding others.
In contrast with the previous state of DC Comics adaptations, the DCU features a united continuity and story across live-action films and television, animation, and video games.
Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly formed DC Studios in November 2022 after working on several DCEU projects, including the film The Suicide Squad (2021) and its spin-off series Peacemaker (2022–present).
There was Superman & Lois, there's the Reeves-verse... we came in and did [The Suicide Squad] and that became Peacemaker and all of a sudden Bat-Mite is a real guy... No one was minding the mint, they were just giving away IP like they were party favors to any creators that smiled at them."
[8] Executive Jon Berg and comic book writer Geoff Johns were set to run DC Films and wanted to make Justice League more optimistic and hopeful.
[12] Reeves was later developing a spin-off series from that film centered on the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) that led to work on a new idea based on Arkham Asylum by March 2022.
Even before the merger was complete, Zaslav began meeting with candidates to take over DC—including film executive Emma Watts—with the hope of finding an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.
Hamada was reportedly upset by the cancellation of Batgirl and tried to leave DC Films, but was convinced by De Luca and Abdy to stay through the release of Black Adam in October 2022.
[31] James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios at the end of October 2022 and were set to take over from Hamada on November 1.
[33] A week after starting their new roles, the pair said they had begun working with a group of writers to develop an eight-to-ten-year plan for the new DC Universe (DCU).
He was writing a new Superman film that would not star Cavill, and Ben Affleck was confirmed to not be reprising his DCEU Batman role moving forward.
[5] He chose not to retell the origin stories of Batman and Superman because "everyone knows them" already, and pushed back against a suggestion that the DCU was focusing on "niche" characters that only interested comic book fans.
[52] In addition to Davis and Cena, there was potential for DCEU actors Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (the Flash), and Zachary Levi (Shazam) to also reprise their roles in the DCU, but decisions on those characters had not been made by January 2023.
[65][66] Another difference Gunn saw between DC and Marvel was the former having more limited runs with unique tones that were separate from "mainstream comics", such as The Dark Knight Returns (1986), Watchmen (1986–87), and All-Star Superman (2005–2008).
[71] In December 2024, Gunn explained that despite revealing some titles as part of Chapter One, namely the film The Brave and the Bold and the series Waller and Booster Gold, he would not greenlight a project for production until he is happy with its script and it is "where I want them to be".
[74] The Brave and the Bold director Andy Muschietti said development on that film had been postponed at that time in part because of DC Studios's strategy to ensure it did not conflict with Reeves's The Batman sequel (2027).
[75][76] Although it is not an origin story, the film focuses on a young version of Superman as a reporter interacting with key characters such as Lois Lane,[88] as he goes on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human family in Smallville, Kansas.
[92] The title was shortened to just Superman by the end of February 2024, when filming began in Norway,[48][93] and primarily occurred at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
[45][102] When Gunn and Safran unveiled their initial DCU slate in January 2023 they included a film adaptation of the comic book miniseries Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2021–22) by Tom King and Bilquis Evely.
[53] In March 2023, filmmaker Mike Flanagan and his Intrepid Pictures partner Trevor Macy met with Gunn and Safran regarding a film centered on the character Clayface, in which he would not be the villain that he typically is portrayed as in the comics.
And the only way to fix it is to take things into their own hands, whether that means killing people, destroying heads of state, changing governments, you know, whatever they want to do to make the world better".
[45] When Gunn and Safran unveiled their initial DCU slate in January 2023, they included a film based on the superhero team the Authority, which was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for the independent comic book publisher WildStorm.
[45] The Flash director Andy Muschietti was hired to direct the film in June 2023, with his sister Barbara co-producing alongside Gunn and Safran.
Luca Guadagnino and Daniel Craig were in negotiations to direct and star in the title role, respectively, after working together with Kuritzkes on the film Queer (2024).
[145] Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two Green Lanterns (intergalactic heroes who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers), investigate a mystery on Earth.
[121] In October 2024, Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre were cast to respectively portray Hal Jordan and John Stewart,[148][149] while James Hawes was hired to direct the first two episodes and executive produce.
[45][153] In May 2022, a Peacemaker spin-off series was revealed to be in development featuring Amanda Waller, with Christal Henry writing and serving as executive producer alongside Gunn and Safran.
The title is similar to "Paradise Island Lost", a 2001 comic book story arc by Phil Jimenez and George Pérez about a civil war on Themyscira.
[45] Mike Carter / Booster Gold is a disgraced former football star in the 25th century who travels back in time to pose as a superhero using basic future technology.
[5] Gunn briefly considered integrating Matt Reeves's The Batman franchise into the DCU, but preferred being able to freely tell Elseworlds stories.