Fans and industry professionals alike are understandably still reeling from yesterday’s news that James Gunn and Peter Safran are out of the DCU, and as news continues to roll in, the updates keep coming—including a new report on when audiences might able to expect the DCU’s Justice League. Along with Gunn and Safran’s departure news yesterday came myriad other details, including information about Gunn’s reported plans to introduce the Justice League in the DCU. This would have taken place over the course of years, with plans allegedly laid out all the way until 2031.
With this major leadership change, however, it’s not clear what the future of the Justice League will be, but new information has just suggested that this may actually be a key factor in how the franchise moves forward. Specifically, per The Wrap, conversations have been had regarding the importance of getting the Justice League under way and on the big screen quickly. See what reports are indicating and what this might mean for the larger franchise at this massive turning point below.
It’s clear that Superman was at the core of Gunn’s DCU, but already, sources are indicating that the next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, which is hitting theaters next summer, would have seen yet another major step towards the Justice League with the introduction of Wonder Woman (which is only redoubling beliefs that Adria Arjona is playing Wonder Woman in the film). If it’s true that Wonder Woman will be introduced in that movie, which would almost certainly remain true in spite of this change-up, then theoretically the DCU is still on that path, and The Wrap has just suggested that path is being expedited.
Per the article, “What insiders also expect Latcham to do – by mandate of Ellison – is to get the Justice League back on the big screen as soon as possible. No more Polka Dot Men or even modestly known heroes like Supergirl. Latcham will be expected to get films for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash and other heavyweights going in the years ahead.” While there’s plenty to be said about the description of Supergirl as “modestly known,” the point is nevertheless that the Justice League is apparently among the top priorities of the DCU, enough so that it’s coming down as a mandate from Skydance CEO David Ellison to new head of the DCU (and, it’s worth mentioning, former Marvel executive) Jeremy Latcham.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. These are some heavy hitters—Batman, for example, who isn’t on The Wrap’s list above, would absolutely be among the Justice League characters—and that poses its own difficulties, including that the DCU could introduce versions of these characters that don’t perform well with audiences. For now, the DCU seems to be a question mark, although perhaps there is plenty more going on behind the scenes that will mean a more stable transition and future than some are expecting.
Are you ready to see the Justice League in the DCU? Do you wish fans had gotten James Gunn’s interpretation of these characters? Let us know in the comments.
