When James Gunn and Peter Safran took of DC Studios, the pair made a big splash with their full slate of DCU projects that were on the way. With the reveal of Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, Gunn and Safran revealed five feature films, including Superman (which released this summer), Supergirl (which arrives next year), plus The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, and Swamp Thing (all of which remain in development). They also confirmed five TV shows, with Creature Commandos already out in the world and Lanterns set to arrive on HBO next year.
Just like the film side of the DCU, the TV side has had a few setbacks. In addition to those two series that were announced, Gunn and Safran confirmed a Booster Gold TV show was in the works (the latest update on that being Our Flag Means Death creator David Jenkins has signed on to write). Furthermore, a fantasy series titled Paradise Lost, about Wonder Woman’s homeworld of Themyscira, and an Amanda Waller TV series were announced. Though both have had minimal updates since then, and they usually say no news is usually good news, one of these projects has just gotten what can only be called bad news.
While speaking at a press conference for Peacemaker Season 2’s finale, DC boss James Gunn addressed a number of topics about the larger DCU in the wake of the show’s explosive final scene. Among the things touched on was the status of the Waller TV series. It was previously assumed that the show would spin out of the events of Peacemaker, Viola Davis having appeared in the first season, when we learned that Leota Adebayo is actually her daughter. Couple that with her character’s actions being exposed to the world, and you have what seemed like a proper way to get the series going. According to Gunn, it’s not that easy.
“It’s just been a rough road, that’s all I have to say,” Gunn revealed. “Sometimes things just happen and it’s like butter and it’s so easy and you’re getting great scripts and it’s just, you know, straight off the bat, and other times it’s just a rockier road. As I said from the beginning, we’ll never greenlight something where the scripts aren’t working, and we just haven’t had that yet with the Waller show.”
Despite clear frustration about the project not fully coming together, Gunn was adamant that he wanted to continue working with Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in the DCU.
“I would certainly hope so,” Gunn replied when asked if he anticipated her returning to character in some way. “Viola and I have a great relationship. I love her to death. I think she’s one of the greatest actors I’ve ever worked with, and so I would certainly hope so, yeah.”
As disappointing as it might be for DC fans to not have a series that was announced to the world actually have much movement, it’s actually a good thing. Gunn himself noted that he has a very high bar that all projects from DC Studios need to clear in order to get the green light. Putting movies into production without completed scripts or even stories that track with the larger franchise plan is how you get half-baked final products (and spend a lot of money getting there). In the end, Gunn sticking to his…guns, and maintaining this philosophy is proving to be a saving grace for the DCU, even if it means projects that fans were counting on don’t get off the ground.
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