James Gunn Confirms He Knows What DCU Projects He’s Directing Next (And What Would Stop Him)

So far the DCU has released three major projects: the animated HBO Max series Creature Commandos, Season 2 of the live-action series Peacemaker, and the blockbuster feature film Superman. The main creative component across all of those is James Gunn, not only because he is the co-president of DC Studios, but he wrote all the scripts for all three projects and directed Superman (and a lot of Peacemaker). Suffice to say, the DCU firmly has his fingerprints all over it. Gunn has also already confirmed his next major movie in the franchise with 2027’s Man of Tomorrow, and he’s just getting started.

Speaking in a press conference attended by ComicBook for Peacemaker Season 2, Gunn opened up about what his future looks like in the DCU. There, Gunn revealed that he knows what his next projects as a director actually are, even after the Superman follow-up that doesn’t arrive for two more years. Furthermore, Gunn opened up about the fact that the DCU is about to expand in a major way with projects he didn’t make, and how he feels about that.

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When asked what would dictate what he directs in the DCU, Gunn teased the upcoming Man of Tomorrow as an idea he’s “had for a long time.” The filmmaker then added, “Honestly, I think I know the next few I’m directing. I already know.” Even though these projects may not have been announced to the world, Gunn revealed that he knows what these projects will be because they all hinge around the story that he wants to tell (one that springs directly from the Peacemaker Season 2 finale).

“It’s a part of the plan of the DCU. There is one big story,” Gunn said. “On the one hand, everything is gonna be okay to watch by itself, but also there’s a bigger story being told that involves, say, Salvation. And so that story involves Rick Flag, it involves Lex & Superman. So there’s those movies that I’m gonna be directing. That’s the plan right now, at least. I may get so f–king tired that I can’t do it, because I’m pretty tired. But we’ll see. But there’s a plan that I’m gonna do. You know, it’s a couple more, at least.”

Gunn also addressed a major shift coming to the DCU very soon, projects that he himself did not direct. To date, Gunn has been the main creative force behind most of the projects released, but next year will see Supergirl from director Craig Gillespie and Clayface from director James Watkins, plus the Lanterns TV series which has its own roster of directors. For Gunn, letting go like this is one he said isn’t easy.

“It’s challenging,” Gunn revealed. “Because I am by nature a writer and director, but that’s my experience as being a writer and director. I’ve produced things, but it doesn’t come as naturally to me. It doesn’t feel like it does. And so that is trying to be the best producer I can. That’s something that, for me, it’s just a personal challenge. I’m focused on being the best producer and supporting those creators the best I can to help tell good stories, really. I’m beholden to the story in those things as much as I am to the story in my own stuff. So my central concern is the same, whether it’s a movie I’m directing or something else.”

What DC fans should take away from this is that even when Gunn is not the one with a directing credit on a DCU project, he’s still got his eyes on it in a major way. Gunn has been forthright from the beginning that no project will get the greenlight at DC Studios if the script isn’t up to par, a power that he has as co-president of the production company and not just its most prolific director. This may seem harsh when projects don’t get off the ground, but it’s one that should lead to better movies and shows without major creative surprises upon release.