DC Studios' DCU slate is already turning some dream DC projects into a reality. Following the DCU’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate reveal, it has now become clear that The Flash will work as an in-universe reboot and that a significant portion of the DC Universe will start from scratch. That includes Superman, who’s getting a reboot with Superman: Legacy, and Batman, who will get a new live-action iteration for Batman: The Brave and the Bold. While the transition between the old DCEU and the new DCU may not be easy given that returning actors may cause some confusion, DC Studios’ slate is very promising.
By combining live-action movies, live-action shows, and animated projects, DC Studios’ new DCU is set to deliver the extensive, cohesive DC Universe audiences had been dreaming of. While the DCEU explored several iconic characters – from the DC’s Trinity to the Suicide Squad – the franchise only scratched the potential of the DC Comics universe. From a live-action Bat Family to the first live-action Green Lantern project in over a decade, here are five DC dreams that are turning into a reality in the DCU’s Chapter 1.
5 Damian Wayne & The Bat Family On The Big Screen
Batman is by far the most successful DC character when it comes to the movies – from Tim Burton’s Batman to Matt Reeves’ The Batman. However, despite the several live-action Batman films in the past decades, Batman only had a sidekick in two of them. Now, with the announcement of the DCU’s Batman movie Batman: The Brave and the Bold bringing Damian Wayne as Robin, Batman’s iconic sidekick will finally return to the big screen. The only theatrical live-action Robin so far had been Chris O’Donnell’s Dick Grayson in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, the latter of which also featured Alicia Silverstone’s Batgirl.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold will be inspired by Grant Morrison’s Batman run, in which Batman learns he has a son. While Damian Wayne was introduced before the New 52 reboot, the character became one of the pillars of Batman’s post-New 52 stories, with Damian serving as Robin while the rest of the Bat Family went on to their own separate adventures. The fact that Damian Wayne will be the DCU’s Robin suggests that previous Robins such as Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake may already exist in this universe, which sets up a live-action version of the Bat Family for the first time in Batman’s cinematic history.
4 A Swamp Thing Movie
A live-action Swamp Thing already happened in the short-lived Swamp Thing show, which had been developed for the now discontinued DC’s streaming service DC Universe. Despite its short run, the Swamp Thing show teased the potential of the character in live-action, something that the new DC Universe can now deliver with the Swamp Thing movie. The DCU’s Swamp Thing will not have anything to do with the show, and Logan director James Mangold is reportedly in talks to direct the DC film (via THR). Going by the upcoming DC Universe slate revealed by James Gunn, Swamp Thing could wrap up the DCU’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters
Given how Swamp Thing, especially in recent DC comics, usually crossovers with other mystical DC characters like Constantine and Zatanna, it will be interesting to see if the Swamp Thing movie leads into a Justice League Dark project. Constantine 2 starring Keanu Reeves had been announced before DC Studios’ DCU came to be, meaning that will likely work as an Elseworlds project similar to The Batman – Part II or Joker: Folie à Deux. Previously, it was confirmed that J.J. Abrams' Justice League Dark projects Constantine and Madame X would no longer move forward at HBO Max.
3 A Supergirl Movie
Almost 40 years after the Christopher Reeve-era Supergirl movie, Kara Zor-El will get another solo film with Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The upcoming DCU Supergirl movie will be based on Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a comic book released in 2022 that redefined Supergirl and her mythos. With the Arrowverse’s Supergirl show canceled after six seasons, a solo Supergirl project for the big screen became even more necessary as the character had never appeared in a modern DC superhero movie. While the DC Universe is starting with a young Superman, it won’t take long for Supergirl to appear in the new DCU.
It is important to notice that Supergirl will appear in The Flash, although The Flash is set to be the final movie of the original DCEU as the film will “reset” things, according to James Gunn. Given that Henry Cavill will not play Superman in the DCU’s Superman reboot Superman: Legacy, it is difficult to say whether Sasha Calle will reprise her role as Supergirl in this new iteration of the character. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is set to highlight the differences between Superman, who was raised by loving parents and didn’t actually experience Krypton’s destruction, and Supergirl, who watched Krypton being destroyed.
2 A Booster Gold TV Show
The Arrowverse, which quickly embraced time travel with The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, seemed like the perfect place for a new live-action Booster Gold to show up. In fact, Legends of Tomorrow season 1 was led by Rip Hunter, Booster Gold’s son in the comics. Still, it was only in Legends of Tomorrow season 7 that the Arrowverse finally got to use the character. Booster Gold appeared in Legends of Tomorrow season 7’s ending, played by Donald Faison, yet the show’s cancelation and the end of the Arrowverse meant that Booster Gold was back in limbo. Fortunately, a DC Studios Booster Gold TV show is currently in the works.
Though not much was revealed about DCU’s Booster Gold, the show will explore Booster Gold’s imposter syndrome, and an unrevealed actor is currently in talks for the role. In the comics, 25th-century citizen Michael Carter, inspired by the Justice League heroes he would often read about at the museum he works, goes back in time to the 21st century and uses his futuristic technology to become a superhero – Booster Gold. It will be interesting to see how the DC's Booster Gold show addresses the time travel element, as Booster Gold would have knowledge of events that are yet to happen in this DC Universe chronology.
1 A Live-Action Green Lantern Project
By the time the new DC Universe kicks off with Superman: Legacy in 2025, it will have been 14 years since the last live-action version of a Green Lantern. Fortunately, a Lanterns TV show focusing on Hal Jordan and John Stewart will be part of the DCU’s Chapter 1. DCU’s Lanterns doesn’t have anything to do with the previously announced HBO Max Green Lantern Corps show, as the former is replacing the latter in a more grounded story that will take place in the DC Universe. Lanterns is said to be a key part of the DC Universe’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, with Hal and John investigating a mysterious threat.
The first and so far only live-action Green Lantern movie, Green Lantern (2011) starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan was a critical and commercial failure that doomed the Green Lanterns' live-action future for over a decade. No Green Lantern was part of the DCEU’s Justice League original lineup, although Zack Snyder filmed a John Stewart scene that never made it into the movie. The HBO Max Green Lantern Corps show seemed like would be the Green Lanterns’ live-action return, yet years passed since the original report with no solid announcements regarding the project. The DCU’s Lanterns show is being described as a True Detective-like story set on Earth.
