With the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery and the arrival of James Gunn and Peter Safran at the head of DC Studios, the future of the DCU will be turned upside down. The two men have prepared a new plan for the next few years, in which “Wonder Woman 3” seems excluded and “Man of Steel 2” in danger…
Will the DCU disappear?
Will the complexity – not to say the bazaar – of the DCU definitely sink this superheroic universe? Or will the coup de grace come from the poor financial results of Black Adam ? From his tumultuous history with Zack Snyder? From the rickety “double” existence of characters like Batman and Harley Quinn, both in the DCU and out of it (Justice League and The Suicide Squad, The Batman and Joker : Madness for two…)? The list of issues associated with the development of the DCU, already rich with 11 films, is long. And it could be that instead of fixing a rickety edifice, the new bosses of DC Studios James Gunn and Peter Safran bulldoze it to start from scratch…
Close the Snyderverse and reboot
According to The Hollywood Reporterwhich is based on multiple sources, it already seems almost certain that there will not be no Wonder Woman 3, Patty Jenkins’ proposal not sticking to the strategy and plans constructed by Gunn and Safran. Plans they are due to present next week to David Zaslav, big boss of Warner Bros. Discovery. At Warner, and by extension at DC Studios, the time is for transformation, and it seems very likely that the Snyderverse page will be turned. Because if the current incarnation of wonder woman should stop there the domino effect seems inevitable.
Thus, Henry Cavill’s Superman, which first appeared in man of steel, the first DCU film, could be the next to have its comeback cancelled. And this, despite the announcement of the development of a Man of Steel 2following its appearance at the end of Black Adamand formalized by Henry Cavill himself.
With this gradual disappearance of the Justice League, Aquaman could also store his trident in the closet after the release ofAquaman and the lost kingdom. Jason Momoa is also the subject of persistent rumors sending him to embody a new DC superhero, the ultra-violent alien Lobo. As for The Flashwith the very controversial and unmanageable Ezra Miller in the title role, he is as much a potential financial success as a thorn in the side of Warner… The other superheroes must make a cameo in this film scheduled for the June 21, 2023 but, again according to The Hollywood Reporter’s sources, discussions are currently underway about withdraw or not that of Henry Cavill…
The James Gunn style in power
At this stage, speculation is therefore going well and certainties will only emerge after the next meeting between the duo James Gunn – Peter Safran and David Zaslav. But it is very clear that James Gunn, whose films Guardians of the Galaxy at Marvel and The Suicide Squad at DC were very popular, will impose its style, significantly different from that of the Snyderverse.
Brilliant example, critical success of The Suicide Squad in 2021 compared to the failure of Suicide Squad by David Ayer in 2016 sent a strong signala few months after the ultimately lukewarm reception of the long-awaited Zack Snyder’s Justice Leaguethe result of a fierce campaign for Zack Snyder, replaced by Joss Whedon on Justice League in 2017, finally shows its own version.
Times are changing, and the upheaval should therefore be major. Case to follow.
