The DC Universe is continuing to expand this month with the release of Supergirl, and there are big plans beyond it, too. After successfully launching last year with Superman (and, technically, Creature Commands before that) then Peacemaker Season 2, things are ramping up in 2026. Supergirl will be followed by the HBO series Lanterns and then another movie, Clayface, while next year will bring the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. It’s a busy, varied slate, but it’s really just the beginning for co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU.
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There’s a lot in the works and a lot that’s been discussed in terms of what else is on the horizon, such as the Wonder Woman prequel series Paradise Lost, and perhaps even Wonder Woman herself. Meanwhile, we know The Batman: Part II is also coming next year, but there is still the matter of the DCU’s own Batman, which is currently titled Batman: The Brave and the Bold. And if it gets those elements in place, then, perhaps, there’ll be a Justice League as well. At a Supergirl event in Brazil, Safran confirmed plans for Batman, while addressing Justice League potential, and the upcoming Superman spinoff that involves Jimmy Olsen [via @GoodNerd23 on X]:
He said: “We know eventually you head in that [Justice League] direction, but we really are just talking about those movies and projects that we’ve announced… You know we’re going to do Brave and the Bold, big picture to see Batman into the DCU. We talked about the Gorilla Grodd show for HBO that we’ll start shooting this year… In terms of what goes on beyond that, we’ll talk about that when the time is right. but it’s really important for us, like with everything, to get the scripts right, to get the story right, we’re not in any rush. We want to do it right, we want to do it well, we want the stories to be crafted in a beautiful fashion, and having a creative visionary like James Gunn at the head of DC gives us such an incredible advantage. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to work alongside him to tell these grand stories with these grand characters that we respect so much.”
James Gunn & Peter Safran Are Taking The Right Approach With The DCU’s Batman & Justice League
It’s clear that Gunn and Safran are taking a relatively more patient, restrained approach to the DCU than might’ve been expected. There are, of course, plenty of projects coming up, but they are not rushing into some of the heaviest hitters like Batman and the Justice League, and that’s a good thing. Diving headfirst into them ended up costing the DCEU, and there’s no sign of its replacement repeating those mistakes. Prioritizing stories over the need to simply get major characters on screen is absolutely the right way to do it, even if it means fans have to wait a little longer.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold is an exciting project, with Andy Muschietti [the IT movies] expected to direct it. Gunn revealed earlier this year that the Batman movie screenplay wasn’t finished, and it doesn’t sound as though that’s changed in the months since. That isn’t an issue, though, given there is a theatrical Batman film coming next year. Assuming the screenplay is finished this year, then a 2028 release year seems plausible, which would nicely build on the momentum of Man of Tomorrow in 2027, but it could feasibly be 2029 instead.
If that’s the sort of release timeline Batman is on, then it would mean we won’t be seeing the Justice League coming together until 2030 at the earliest, and perhaps even after that. Again, that’s not a bad thing, as it should focus on establishing the foundations of this universe before getting to such a massive team-up event. It needs the characters and stories in place to underpin it, after all.
Safran’s comments on the Gorilla Grodd show are also exciting. That will be a mockumentary style series about different DC villains, hosted by Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), from the creators of Netflix’s American Vandal. It being referred to as a Gorilla Grodd show has led to some talk about this being different to what was expected, i.e. a Jimmy Olsen show, but that’s not really the case. It was always going to be focusing on a vilain, with Olsen the presenter who brings it together, rather than a show about him.
Either way, the talent involved is very promising, as is the filming timeline. If it’s filming this year, then it means we should see it on HBO and HBO Max sometime in 2027, perhaps coming off the back of Man of Tomorrow. It’s a good time to be a DC fan, starting with Kara Zor-El’s return to the big screen.
Supergirl releases on June 26, followed by Lanterns on August 16, Clayface on October 23, and then Man of Tomorrow on July 9, 2027.
Forum Conversation: What do you most want to see from the DCU's future (and do you want another Justice League yet)?
Go to ForumI’m worried about the animated shows! My Adventures with Superman is legit one of the best things they have right now, and I hope it doesn’t get shelved within the Paramount merger and DC Studios’ lack of interest outside of Gunnverse projects. Need more of these elseworlds projects
I hope they take time to properly build it up. I think they may have tried to follow the MCU a little and catch up so to speak, but I think they will do it the right way this time.
I’m in no rush to see another Justice League. I’m a big fan of the patient approach they’re taking. Just keep making good movies that stand on their own and work as movies.
I’m curious to see Brave and the Bold and how they pull off the two Batmen thing with the Reeves series still going on