It has been some time since James Gunn talked about his plans for the revitalized DC Cinematic Universe, a side effect of the Writers Guild strike, of which Gunn is a member. But with that now concluded, Gunn, who also just happens to run Warner Brothers’ DC Studios with his partner Peter Safran, is taking some time to address some questions that fans have asked.
Addressing whether or not all of the previous DC superhero films will be canon or not, a distinction he had been somewhat vague about in the past, Gunn clarified things somewhat, stating that nothing will strictly be considered canon until next year when the animated series Creature Commandos premiers, which will be followed by the live action Superman: Legacy film in 2025 that will open up the new universe even further.
Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year — a sort of aperitif to the DCU — & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.
Gunn also stated that what has come before is not necessarily set aside, but could be considered canon with the new universe in broad strokes, and that includes certain actors’ portrayals of certain characters.
And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until CC and Legacy.
As for which actors will be returning, Gunn indicated at three who will be going forward in to the new era of DC Films.
Xolo Maridueña will continue playing Blue Beetle in the DCU, as Viola Davis will Amanda Waller, and John Cena will Peacemaker.
You can see his full posts from Threads below.
Cena and Davis continuing into this new iteration of the franchise comes as no surprise. Previously, Gunn had stated that there would definitely be a season 2 for the Max series Peacemaker, which Cena was the star, Davis appeared in and, not so coincidentally, Gunn produced, wrote and directed a number of episodes. (It is also expected, though not yet confirmed, that several other of the cast members from Peacemaker will continue on in their roles.) Maridueña’s continuance also comes as no surprise as Gunn had stated at around the time of the release of the Blue Beetle movie last summer that the character could have a place in his future plans for the franchise.
It should be noted that this doesn’t necessarily preclude any other actors returning to their roles for the new era of DC films. Granted both Henry Cavil and Ben Affleck are known to be not returning as Superman and Batman, but there has been no indication one way or another as to whether or not actors such as Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot or Ezra Miller will continue. (OK, it does seem unlikely that Miller will continue given his legal problems.)
Post by @jamesgunnView on Threads
Post by @jamesgunnView on Threads
Post by @jamesgunnView on Threads
