Warner Bros. Reveals the Fate of James Gunn’s 10-Year DCU Plan Amid Sale

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Warner Bros. recently highlighted the promising future of DC Studios after finishing the first year of its new DC Universe (DCU). James Gunn and Peter Safran took the helm of DC Studios in October 2022, and over the past three years, they’ve launched projects like Creature Commandos, Superman, and Season 2 of Peacemaker. While these projects have been some of DC’s most successful in recent years, the future has become less certain with Netflix’s agreement to acquire Warner Bros., HBO Max, and HBO.

Before these recent reports, Warner Bros. discussed its plans for DC Studios during its third-quarter 2025 earnings call on November 6th. The company’s letter to shareholders emphasized that the movie Superman is a key beginning for a new, decade-long story arc for DC characters in both movies and television.

With the release of ‘Superman’ in theaters, DC Studios officially began a new chapter. This movie is the first key step in a 10-year plan to create a connected and exciting story across both movies and TV shows, and to introduce audiences to both familiar and brand new characters.

The announcement focused only on movies and TV shows, which is worrying because DCU had previously hinted at including video games. This makes people question what’s happening with those planned games.

As a big DC fan, I’m hearing the studio is still really hyped about everything happening over at DC Studios. They seem confident that we, the fans, are going to absolutely love seeing these classic characters reimagined for a new generation. It’s good to know they’re feeling positive about the future!

We’re still very enthusiastic about the progress at DC Studios and its potential to recapture fans’ interest and introduce these iconic characters to a new audience.

Warner Bros. recently updated shareholders and fans on the future of DC Studios, announcing that Lanterns, Supergirl, Clayface, and Man of Tomorrow are the next projects planned for the DC Universe in 2026 and 2027, as envisioned by James Gunn.

Following the success of ‘Superman’, DC Studios has several new projects in development. ‘Lanterns’ will premiere on HBO Max in early 2026, while ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Clayface’ are planned for release in theaters during the summer and fall of that same year. James Gunn is currently writing and directing ‘Man of Tomorrow’, which will continue the story begun in ‘Superman’.

It’s unclear if these plans will continue long-term, but Netflix has stated that Warner Bros. will likely still release movies in theaters even if the deal goes forward. Warner Bros. is currently committed to theatrical releases through 2029 thanks to a deal with IMAX, meaning DC movies will remain in cinemas for now.

In early 2023, Gunn and Safran presented Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav with a plan for DC Studios spanning eight to ten years. Zaslav shared a portion of this plan with fans, calling it ‘Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters,’ but that initial lineup has since been significantly revised.

Following the sale of Warner Bros., the head of the DC Universe revealed that his vision extends well beyond the planned 2027 film, Man of Tomorrow. However, he didn’t confirm whether he would personally be responsible for seeing those longer-term plans come to fruition.

In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran signed a four-year deal to co-lead DC Studios, with Gunn working exclusively for DC during that time. This agreement has recently been extended to continue until 2027.

DC Studios’ 2nd Year Could Define the Franchise’s Future

The DC Universe (DCU) has had a strong start, successfully grabbing the attention of a wider audience. While James Gunn has overseen the initial three projects closely, the real challenge for the DCU will be in 2026 when Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface are released – all of which will be created by filmmakers other than Gunn.

Now that Netflix owns Warner Bros., things might change a bit from the original plan. Movies will still be released in theaters, but the time between the theatrical release and when they’re available to stream could be much shorter, similar to what Netflix did with films like Wake Up Dead Man. It’s also uncertain how Netflix will handle DC content currently on HBO Max – whether it will stay on that platform or move to Netflix itself.

Even though James Gunn and Peter Safran have been doing well with the DC Universe so far, Netflix might have some input if they start overseeing things. This could mean changes to existing projects, a shift in what gets made first, or even the unlikely return of the SnyderVerse as a separate, alternate storyline – something that’s more feasible with Netflix involved.

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2025-12-24 09:36