It’s now official: the DC cinema era that began in 2013 with “Man Of Steel” will end in 2023, after exactly ten years. Appropriately, ten new projects have already been announced that will herald a new era in the coming years: the DCU. Until all DC fans and moviegoers have figured out how the old DCEU and the new DCU are connected and how the so-called Elseworlds movies “The Batman” and “Joker” relate to them, new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran still some explaining work to do. But at least you can get in the mood for the DCU era called “Gods & Monsters” thematically and conceptually.
James Gunn shared a list of DC comics on Twitter that serve as (at least loosely) templates for the first five DCU movies. “We talked a lot about ‘Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow,’ but those comics also serve as inspiration for the DCU for us at DC Studios,” Gunn wrote. “It doesn’t mean we adapt all these comics, but her feel, look and tone are a touchstone for our team. Look at her:”
As “Guardians Of The Galaxy” director James Gunn also knows from Marvel and has implemented there, the DCU movies will apparently not be 1:1 adaptations of the comics, but will be based on certain milestones. These are:
“Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow”https://www.filmstarts.de/”Die Frau von Morgen” by Tom King
In the comic book for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, we experience a dark side of Supergirl, who sees the destruction of her homeworld of Krypton and does not grow up sheltered on Earth like her younger cousin Kal-El aka Superman. The adventure itself begins on Supergirl’s 21st birthday and is a true revenge story.
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All Star Superman by Grant Morrison
In All-Star Superman, Superman is on the verge of death because his cells are overloaded with solar energy. Before his death, however, he performs twelve heroic deeds for the earth and humanity. That certainly won’t happen in “Superman: Legacy”, James Gunn should rather care about the optimistic basic tone of the comic.
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“The Authority” by Warren Ellis
The Authority is perhaps the most obscure comic book adaptation Gunn and Safran are planning for the DCU. The anthology recommended by Gunn contains the first issues and mainly presents the ruthless super team of the same name, which consists of Apollo and Midnighter, who are reminiscent of Superman and Batman, but also unusual characters such as Jack Hawksmoor (withdraws his powers from the city in that he found) and The Engineer (a type of female T-1000).
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“Batman” by Grant Morrison
In “Batman: The Brave And The Bold”, for the first time since “Batman & Robin”, not only the Dark Knight but also his Bat-Family should take center stage – especially his biological son Damian Wayne, but probably also ex-Robin Nightwing and many others. This is exactly what the “Batman & Son”, “Batman: The Black Glove” and “Batman RIP” collected here are all about.
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“Swamp Thing” by Alan Moore
Alan Moore may be best known for his superhero swan song Watchmen, but he’s also demonstrated his stature as a writer for Marvel and DC, including his critically acclaimed Swamp Thing stories. A fitting template for a ‘Swamp Thing’ edit billed as a dark horror movie.
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None of the five films above have a permanent director, but many believe that James Gunn himself will direct Superman: Legacy, which he is currently writing. And there is already a suitable candidate for “Swamp Thing”: James Mangold will probably return to the superhero genre after “Logan – The Wolverine”.