DC Universe (Franchise)

DC Universe

Information

Years

2023 - Present

Appearances

First Appearance
"The Flash"

The DC Universe (DCU) is a shared franchise based on characters of DC Comics.

History[edit source]

Merger of Warner Bros. with Discovery Inc.[edit source]

In April 2022, the merger of Warner Bros. with Discovery Inc. resulted in the overhaul of the functions of DC Entertainment and DC Films. David Zaslav, the president and CEO of the merged company, claimed that "DC lacks coherent creative and brand strategy and is looking to hire a czar of creativity and strategy, comparable to rival Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[1] With Walter Hamada leaving his role as the CEO of DC Films in October 2022, Peter Safran and James Gunn were appointed as the new co-CEOs and co-chairman, and are responsible for all future DC projects including film, television, and animation.^[2]

A New Slate[edit source]

In December 2022, Gunn and Safran both began working on the reboot of the existing DC Extended Universe franchise, promising to create a spiritual successor that encompassed multiple mediums, including film, television, animation and video games.^[3] The new franchise was named the "DC Universe", and the overall story had been finalized by January 2023.^[4]

On January 31, 2023, Gunn and Safran unveiled part of their new slate spanning over the following 8–10 years. Among the theatrical projects were "Superman: Legacy" (based on the 12-issue miniseries All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison), "The Authority" (based on The Authority Omnibus of the WildStorm imprint), "The Brave and the Bold" (based on Grant Morrison's Batman comics), "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" (based on the eponymous miniseries by Tom King) and "Swamp Thing" (based on Alan Moore's Swamp Thing comics). The slate also includes television projects with Creature Commandos and Waller serving as aperitif to the franchise, followed by Lanterns, Paradise Lost and Booster Gold.^[5]

Aside from new projects, the duo also confirmed that "The Flash" would reset the timeline of the DC Extended Universe, with subsequent DCEU films such as "Blue Beetle" and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" taking place after the reset and leading into the new franchise, but still considered part of the DC Universe's predecessor. However, both films will not be part of the DC Universe's first chapter, titled Gods and Monsters. Moreover, media existing outside of the DC Universe would be labelled as DC Elseworlds, including the BatVerse and Todd Phillips' "Joker" films.^[5]

Peacemaker, being the first and only television series in the DC Extended Universe, was renewed for a second season by HBO Max. While the first season took place in the DC Extended Universe, the second season was reworked for the DC Universe, with Waller bridging the two seasons.^[5]