The countdown is on to the start of DCU Chapter One. Many people believe James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) won’t begin until Superman arrives in July 2025 but, with Creature Commandos – an R-rated animated show – set to arrive before 2024 ends, the phase titled ‘Gods and Monsters’ actually begin this year.
So, you’ll want to start reading up on every DC Studios-related as soon as possible. To help you, we’ve compiled a full list of the new movies and Max programs that form the DCU’s first chapter. Each entry contains more information about their release dates (if they’ve been announced), cast lists, story briefs, and more. You’ll also find a separate section at the end of this article for The Batman Epic Crime Saga, aka Matt Reeves’ Batman universe that sits independent of the DCU. Happy reading!
DCU Chapter One: every movie and TV show
In January 2023, Gunn revealed the DCU Chapter One’s full line-up. In total, 11 projects – five movies and six TV shows – have been announced, but only five have officially been greenlit so far. Of that quintet, only three have confirmed release dates or launch windows, too.
Anyway, here’s the complete list of projects that Gunn namechecked over 18 months ago (NB: any projects with unknown release dates have been labeled ‘TBC’):
- Creature Commandos (TV show, December 2024)
- Superman (movie, July 11, 2025)
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (movie, June 26, 2026)
- The Authority (movie, TBC)
- The Brave and the Bold (movie, TBC)
- Booster Gold (TV show, TBC)
- Lanterns (TV show, TBC)
- Paradise Lost (TV show, TBC)
- Peacemaker season 2 (TV show, TBC)
- Swamp Thing (movie, TBC)
- Waller (TV show, TBC)
DC Chapter One movies
Superman
Release date: July 11, 2025
Director: James Gunn
Confirmed cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Maria Gabriela de Faría, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell
The first DCU Chapter One film to fly into theaters, Superman has been written and directed by Gunn. Filming began in late February and is expected to wrap in August. Read our Superman movie guide to keep tabs on development as it continues.
Corenswet is the latest incumbent to wear the famous red cape, Brosnahan is playing Daily Planet reporter/perennial Supes love interest Lois Lane, and Hoult will portray infamous Superman villain Lex Luthor. Corrigan will also portray Metamorpho, Merced is Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi plays Mister Terrific, and Fillion is Guy Gardner, one of Green Lantern’s many iterations.
Gisondo has been hired as Clark’s long-standing photographer buddy Jimmy Olsen, de Faría will play The Engineer (a character we’ll see again in The Authority), and Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher, one of Luthor’s LexCorp allies. Lastly, Vince and Howell are playing Jonathan ‘Pa’ Kent and Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive human parents.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Release date: June 26, 2026
Director: Craig Gillespie
Confirmed cast: Milly Alcock
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will be the first solo big-screen outing for Superman’s cousin since the Helen Slater-starring 1984 movie. The character appeared in The Flash and her self-titled CW show, though, so she won’t be completely *ahem* alien to audiences. Ana Nogeuira has written the script, while Gillespie is its director. Filming is, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), slated to start this Fall (that’s autumn for non-US northern hemisphere readers and spring for those south of the equator).
Inspired by Tom King’s comic-book run of the same name, it’ll arrive almost one year on from the release of Gunn’s Superman film. Milly Alcock, who played a young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon, will star as the titular hero – Alcock being confirmed as Kara Zor-El just days after Gunn whittled down his Supergirl casting list to two stars (the other being DC voice actor Meg Donnelly in January). Krypto the Superdog is expected to make an appearance, too.
The Brave and the Bold
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Cast: TBC
Based on Grant Morrison’s popular run of comic books, The Brave and the Bold‘s movie adaptation – one of TechRadar’s most anticipated DCU Chapter One projects – will see Bruce Wayne teaming up with his violent and narcissistic son Damian, a teen raised by assassins who goes on to become Bat-sidekick Robin.
Nobody’s been cast yet, but Variety and Deadline claim The Flash’s Andy Muschietti is being lined up to direct it. A DCEU Leaks Reddit thread suggests John Logan (Gladiator, Skyfall) is in talks to pen the script. However, neither individual has been confirmed to be attached to the project so, until Gunn announces that they have (or haven’t), we’re none the wiser about the pair’s potential involvement.
The Authority
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Confirmed cast: Maria Gabriela de Faría
DCU Chapter One will introduce The Authority, a lesser known team of antiheroes who feel right up Gunn’s street. Based on Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch’s comic series (released via DC’s Wildstorm imprint), it’ll focus on the eponymous group who are prepared to use any means necessary to save the day – a modus operandi rather like Peacemaker’s heavy-handed quest for peace.
“One of our strategies is that we take our diamond characters – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman – and we use that to help prop up other characters that people don’t know,” Gunn said at a DCU launch party (via THR). “Like what happened with the Guardians in some way… taking teams like The Authority, which I know is just a spectacular idea for a film that’s a completely different take on superheroes.”
De Faría should feature as The Engineer following her appearance in Superman, but no-one else has been cast. A writer has been in place for “a long time”, though, according to Gunn (via the DCU Updates X fan account) and the DCEU Leaks X account claims Matthew Vaugh (Kick Ass, The Kingsman) is in talks to direct.
Swamp Thing
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Cast: TBC
The brainchild of Wolverine creator Len Wein, Swamp Thing‘s comic series tells the story of brilliant scientist Alec Holland, who finds his consciousness merged with a bog after an attack on his research facility.
This new take on the character will be written by James Mangold (Logan, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), who’ll reportedly take inspiration from Watchmen creator Alan Moore’s legendary ’80s run on the comic. However, with Mangold also attached to Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown and a standalone Star Wars prequel film, it may be some time before this DCU Chapter One entry puts its head above water.
“The truth is, I’m writing both right now,” Mangold told Collider at Star Wars Celebration 2023. “Who knows what’s going to happen and what’s going to blossom first or second? [But] I’m doing Swamp Thing, there’s your scoop. It’s not a rumor, it’s happening.”
DCU Chapter One TV shows
Creature Commandos
Release date: December 2024
Director: TBC
Confirmed cast: Frank Grillo, Maria Bakalova, Indira Varma, Zoë Chao, Alan Tudyk, David Harbour, Sean Gunn, Viola Davis, Anya Chalotra, and Steve Agee
2025’s Superman may feel like the true start of the DCU, but Creature Commandos – penned and executively produced by James Gunn – will be the first DCU Chapter One project to actually arrive. Per executive producer Dean Lorey (via The Wrap), it’ll be the “first expression” of Gunn and Safran’s plans for their cinematic universe.
The antihero ensemble is led by Rick Flag Sr. (father of The Suicide Squad’s Rick Jr.) who commands a ragtag assortment of humans and monsters who, according to the series’ logline, are “recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails…they’re your last, worst option”. Per Nexus Point News, it’ll comprise seven episodes.
Joining Grillo on the voice cast roster are Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Chalotra as Circe, Chao as Nina Mazursky, Sean Gunn as GI Robot and Weasel, Harbour as Frankenstein, Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Varma as The Bride, and Davis as Amanda Waller. According to James Gunn (per The Hollywood Reporter), some of these characters (and the actors who play them) will make the jump to live-action projects – and vice versa – throughout DCU Chapter One.
Peacemaker season 2
Release date: TBC
Director: James Gunn
Confirmed cast: John Cena, Frank Grillo, Freddie Stroma, and Tim Meadows
Although it existed as a TV spin-off of The Suicide Squad in the DCEU, Gunn is making a second season of Peacemaker, which will also sit under the DCU banner. It’s the second project Gunn will work on after Superman – one that’ll also follow the events of that 2025 movie (per Gunn on Threads).
As Gunn revealed in a separate Threads post, filming is already underway , so he’ll split his time between the two DCU Chapter One projects. Three other directors will also helm episodes alongside Gunn (again, via Threads).
It’s unclear which other Team Peacemaker characters might make the leap to the DCU, but Gunn has confirmed Stroma will return as Vigilante and welcomed Tim Meadows on board as ARGUS agent Langston Fleury. Grillo will also reprise his role as Rick Flag Sr. from Creature Commandos – a Peacemaker season 2 cast reveal that we think will make it harder to follow the DCU. According to The Wrap, Sol Rodríguez and David Denman have also boarded the project. Rodríguez will reportedly play someone named Sasha Bordeaux, but Denman’s role hasn’t been disclosed.
Waller
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Confirmed cast: Viola Davis
Viola Davis, who played Amanda Waller in various DCEU projects, has been kept on as the character in the DCU. Gunn will tackle Amanda Waller’s standalone series after Peacemaker season 2 (per Threads) and, like its fellow DCEU survivor, there’ll be some muddy crossover between Waller and Peacemaker season 1.
Gunn has since tried to clarify how the events of Peacemaker‘s first season will carry over into the DCU, telling Annecy 2024 attendees (per THR): “The new series [Waller and Peacemaker season 2] pick up directly after our Peacemaker season one finale, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning that she’s no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike [in] The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.”
Regardless, following her voicing the same morally complex individual in Creature Commandos, Davis will headline this live-action Peacemaker spin-off on Max, aka one of the world’s best streaming services. Taking to Threads, Gunn also confirmed events in Peacemaker season 2 will directly lead into Waller. Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Doom Patrol) have reportedly written its scripts (per Deadline).
Lanterns
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Confirmed cast: Nathan Fillion
2011’s much-derided Ryan Reynolds-starring Green Lantern may have killed a franchise before it even started. But, over a decade later, DC will revive another of its beloved superheroes on the small screen after it was officially greenlit in late June.
“Our vision for this is True Detective,” Safran told reporters at the DCU’s press unveiling in January 2023. “It’s terrestrial-based and it’s got two of our favorite Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. It plays a really big role in the main story that we’re telling across our film and television. This is a very important show for us”. A recent image, posted on Threads by Gunn, teases the possibility that it’ll pull from the ‘War of the Green Lanterns’ comic series.
Little is known about who’ll play the show’s two lead Green Lanterns – those being Hal Jordan and John Stewart, rather than Fillion’s Guy Gardner, who’s expected to play a supporting role. However, Lanterns‘ creative team has officially been revealed, and one particular addition is a perfect fit for its crime thriller tendencies.
Paradise Lost
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Cast: TBC
Lanterns isn’t the only DCU Chapter One release taking its cues from one of the best Max shows, because Paradise Lost will go back to Wonder Woman’s island home for some political in-fighting. “It’s going to be a Game of Thrones-ish story about Themyscira, the home of the Amazons and the birthplace of Wonder Woman,” Safran previous teased. “This drama is really about the political intrigue behind this society of all women”. Nexus Point News suggests its found its writers, too, with Kira Snyder and Janet Lin tapped to pen its scripts.
With Wonder Woman 3 dead in the water, Paradise Lost seems like an intriguing way to keep Themyscira (aka Paradise Island) and the Amazonian superhero alive. Don’t be surprised if the new show is used as a back door to introduce a new version of Wonder Woman, with one of DC’s traditional superstar trinity – alongside Batman and Superman – likely to appear at some stage.
Booster Gold
Release date: TBC
Director: TBC
Cast: TBC
If your first thought was “…who???” when you saw this DCU Chapter One project, you’re not alone. Booster Gold, aka Michael Jon Carter, is arguably the most unlikely superhero on the ‘Gods and Monsters’ roster but, if you’ve seen any of Gunn’s previous output, you’ll understand why this lesser known comic book appealed to his sensibilities.
For the uninitiated: it’s the story of a guy – read: loser – from the future who comes back in time to the present and uses basic future tech to convince everyone he’s a superhero. Or, as Gunn put it: “It’s the superhero story of imposter syndrome”.
Like many DCU Chapter One projects, there are very few details about it. Industry insider Daniel RPK (per DCU Film News) suggests a showrunner and Carter casting are inbound soon, while Nexus Point News claims Kumail Nanjiani has been cast as the titular character. As always, however, Gunn will reveal all when he’s ready to do so.
DC Elseworlds: The Batman sequel and beyond
Non-DCEU releases, including The Batman and Joker, have been among Warner Bros’ biggest box-office hits recently, so it’s a smart move that their sequels and spin-offs won’t be shoehorned into the DCU. Instead, they’re releasing under the Elseworlds banner, a nod to a DC Comics imprint of the same name.
However, Gunn has said DC Studios won’t go overboard on stories that exist outside their main universe’s continuity. “The bar for Elseworlds tales is going to have to be higher than the bar for something within the DCU,” he said (per Collider). “Not that we’re not always going to have a high bar, but it’s got to be something really special for us to tell that story outside of our regular continuity, and to spend the money on it to make it.”
Here are the three DC Elseworlds releases we know of so far:
Joker: Folie à Deux
Release date: October 4, 2024
Director: Todd Phillips
Confirmed cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland, and Harry Lawtey
The sequel to 2019 monster hit Joker – controversially one of the best superhero movies – will arrive in theaters this October. Like its predecessor, it’ll star Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, while Lady Gaga will portray Doctor Harleen Quinzel, who goes onto become Joker’s on-off love interest and another iconic Batman villain in Harley Quinn.
Based on Joker 2’s first trailer, however, Gaga’s Quinzel won’t be Fleck’s psychologist who falls madly in love with him. Instead, she’ll be a fellow inmate of his at Arkham Asylum. For more details on the secrets housed within its first teaser, read our Joker: Folie à Deux trailer breakdown article. Then, watch the official trailer above and learn more about the film’s story synopsis, which reads as follows: “Joker: Folie À Deux finds Fleck institutionalized at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love, but also finds the music that’s always been inside him.”
The Penguin
Release date: September 19, 2024
Director: Craig Zobel
Cast: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, Clancy Brown, James Madio, Scott Cohen, Michael Zegen, Carmen Ejogo, and Theo Rossi
The first spin-off set in Reeves’ Bat-Verse (now known as The Batman Epic Crime Saga), The Penguin will see Farrell reprise his role as Oz Cobb from The Batman. In this series, he’ll make a play to become Gotham’s new crime lord in – spoiler alert – the wake of Carmine Falcone’s death in the aforementioned film. It’ll comprise eight episodes and launches on Max (US) and Sky/Now TV (UK) on September 19. Australian viewers can stream it via Binge on September 20.
Milioti will play Sophia Falcone, Carmine’s daughter who battles Cobb for control of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Indeed, The Penguin‘s first trailer put Oz Cobb on the criminal warpath as he fights Falcone’s family and loyalists to become the de facto ruler of Gotham’s seedy underbelly. The Penguin‘s second trailer teased a Batman crime series to rival The Sopranos, before its third teaser (see it above) further highlighted its neo-noir-crime aesthetic, melodrama, and R-rate action.
For more details on its cast and plot, read our comprehensive guide on The Penguin.
The Batman – Part II
Release date: October 2, 2026
Director: Matt Reeves
Confirmed cast: Robert Pattinson
The follow-up to 2022’s critically-acclaimed detective noir take on the Caped Crusader, this flick was supposed to arrive in October 2025. However, The Batman Part 2‘s release was delayed by a full year (thanks to the 2023 Hollywood strikes) in March. Andy Serkis, who plays Alfred Pennyworth in The Batman Epic Crime Saga, suggests filming will start in early 2025 (via PopVerse).
Reeves is slated to direct and co-write the script (Mattson Tomlin will co-pen it) again, while Pattinson will reprise his role as Gotham’s protector-in-chief. Andy Serkis, who plays Alfred in The Batman Epic Crime Saga, suggests filming will start in early 2025 (via PopVerse).
As for who could appear, Pattinson and Reeves have been open about the characters they’d like to introduce. Indeed, the pair have rattled off a variety of iconic Batman individuals/villainous groups since The Batman‘s March 2022 release, including Robin, Mr. Freeze, Hush, Calendar Man, and the Court of Owls. Barry Keoghan has also seemingly teased he’ll be back as Joker in the sequel (per ETalk).
Other Elseworlds projects
There are other DC Elseworlds movies that are rumored to be in development.
Taking to Threads in January, Gunn confirmed that J.J Abrams and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Superman film, which has been in development for years, is still in the works. A March 2024 article from THR also suggests that a live-action Teen Titans flick is coming from Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow scribe Ana Nogueira, but Gunn hasn’t commented on whether this is true. Lastly, Deadline reports that an animated Blue Beetle series is also on the way.
Once we learn more about these productions, they’ll get their own entries in this guide.
For more DC-based coverage, read our guides on how to watch the DC movies in order, how to watch the Batman movies in order, and the best Batman movies. Alternatively, find out which DC films made it onto our best Max movies list.
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