Creature Commandos: James Gunn Confirms Release Window for First DCU Project

DC Studios head James Gunn is confirming the release date window for Creature Commandos, the animated series that will serve as the first installment of DC Universe Chapter One: “Gods and Monsters”. 

Gunn has been active over on Threads lately. He recently hopped into a chat thread about the Most Anticipated Comics of 2024, and one DC fan expressed excitement about the DCU launching in 2025, with the release of James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. Gunn politely corrected the fan by pointing out that the DCU actually begins in 2024 with the release of Creature Commandos. When a followup question asked whether or not Creature Commandos would be released earlier or later in 2024, Gunn responded “Later.” 

Creature Commandos Wasn’t Delayed By Strikes

James Gunn recently explained in more detail why Creature Commandos is still a viable release for 2024, whereas so many other TV shows and films have been delayed by the recent Writers and Actors’ Strikes in Hollywood: 

“Yes, Creature Commandos is all set to come out in 2024,” Gunn posted in reply, when asked by a fan. “There have never been any delays, thank goodness. Any info otherwise is a well-intentioned mistake or misspeaking… Animation isn’t part of the SAG contract, but it still doesn’t matter as everyone’s lines have been recorded for a long time, and animation has been going full speed ahead for a while.”

What Is Creature Commandos About? 

Creature Commandos is an animated series that is set in WWII and follows “a group of military superhumans composed by a human leader, a werewolf, a vampire, Frankenstein’s monster and a gorgon.” It will be a chapter of the DCU set far back enough in history to potentially establish all sorts of different DC connections that will then make more sense in Superman: Legacy – which we already know will include multiple DC characters and connections to the larger universe.  It’s a careful house of cards James Gunn is building – but like his Guardians of Galaxy films, Creature Commandos are an oddball team that’s obscure enough in DC lore for Gunn and co. to re-invent them. 

Creature Commandos will star Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., playing the father of Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag who died in The Suicide Squad. Co-stars include David Harbour (Marvel’s Thunderbolts) as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) as the Bride of Frankenstein, Alan Tudyk (Rogue One) as Doctor Phosphorus, Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky, with James Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy) voicing both G.I. Robot and Weasel (his character from The Suicide Squad), and Maria Bakalova (Borat 2) as Princess Ilana Rostovic. Other Creature Commandos cast members set to appear include Steve Agee (Peacemaker) as John Economos and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.

“Creature Commandos is based on the great team from DC,” Gunn previously said. “What we’re doing with the DCU is, we are having animation tied directly into live action. Television, movies, and games all intertwine within the same universe. We’re going to cast actors that are going to be able to play the characters in this as well as in other things, some of which we’ve already cast. I’ve written all seven episodes of the show, and it’s in production. So that’s the first thing, and I love it.”

Creature Commandos will be released in late 2024.