Tag: james gunn

Supergirl Movie: House of the Dragon Star Milly Alcock Reportedly Among Top Picks for the Role

James Gunn is reportedly hunting for a Supergirl, who would appear in his revised DC Universe continuity. As per Deadline, the filmmaker and co-CEO of DC Studios is about to screentest three actresses for the role — Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon), Emilia Jones (CODA), and Meg Donnelly (Zombies); the last of them previously voiced Supergirl in the animated Legion of Super-Heroes film. The tests are scheduled to take place within the ‘next month or so’, with the character first making a cameo appearance in a DC project before taking centre stage in the standalone Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow film.

DC Studios co-chairs Gunn and Peter Safran first announced Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in early 2023, when detailing how their revamped DC Universe chapter ‘Gods and Monsters’ would run for the next 8-10 years, connecting storylines across movies, TV shows, animation, and video games. Drawing from author Tom King’s version, the film will present a jaded version of Kara Zor-El, who grew up on a floating chunk of planet Krypton and watched people around her die in devastating ways for 14 straight years, before coming to Earth. “She’s much more hardcore. She’s not exactly the Supergirl we’re used to seeing,” Gunn described at the time. However, her cousin Clark Kent/ Kal-el arrived when he was just an infant and was raised by loving parents, eventually becoming a symbol of hope for Metropolis.

For now, there is no word on who’s directing Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, though the team has reportedly fixated on actress-playwright Ana Nogueira to pen the script. Interestingly, the scribe was originally hired to write a script for a Supergirl spin-off movie that would tie into The Flash film and add to the now-defunct DC Extended universe with Sasha Calle playing the lead. However, those plans got cancelled when Gunn and Safran came on board to chart an entirely new course for the franchise, which included the aforementioned standalone DC Universe movie — cutting all ties with existing characters and stories. Having liked Nogueira’s work on the axed Supergirl project, the executives ‘quietly’ brought her back to work on the new film.

Meanwhile, Gunn is preparing to film Superman: Legacy, the first live-action project of DCU, during the American Spring season. It’s slated to release July 11, 2025, and stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/ Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicolas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Other key future projects include an Arkham Asylum series, a Creature Commandos animated show, Booster Gold, a limited series based on Amanda Waller, and more.

Currently, there is no release window for Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

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Batman Spin-Off ‘Arkham’ TV Series Is Set Within the New DC Universe, James Gunn Confirms

The Batman director Matt Reeves will be developing projects within both DC Universe and DC Elseworlds. Responding to a fan on Threads, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that the filmmaker is making an Arkham series based within the DCU, the new timeline he’s crafting with co-chair Peter Safran. Originally, the series was meant to focus on the inner workings of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD), as a prequel to The Batman film and touching on the corruption and the city’s infestation with volatile criminals. However, the project later evolved into the idea of a horror show set within the confines of Arkham Asylum, the psychiatric facility housing the most deranged villains from the Dark Knight’s rogues gallery.

“Right now, Matt is producing Arkham as a DCU series, so there’s just the two for now,” Gunn said, referring to director Reeves’ The Batman: Part II and The Penguin series for Max (formerly HBO Max) — both of which is part of DC Elseworlds, the alternate universe which does not tie into the mainline DCU canon. This is also where projects like Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux and Teen Titans GO! will thrive, charting new tales of our favourite superheroes and villains, without hindering the continuity for fans. Interestingly, Gunn also added that the Arkham series was one of the first pitches he presented to Warner Bros. Discovery as a DC Universe project and that he had no knowledge of the changes it went through beforehand.

A day before his and Safran’s takeover as co-heads of DC Studios, the company brought in filmmaker Antonio Campos — best known for psychological thrillers like Simon Killer and The Devil All the Time — to serve as a showrunner and potential director on the Arkham Asylum show. Of course, being part of the DC Universe also means that Batman/ Bruce Wayne will be played by an entirely new actor, presumably the same one who will be starring in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. That film will be directed by Andy Muschietti (The Flash), with the added responsibility of introducing Bruce’s biological son Damian Wayne as Robin, who was trained by the League of Assassins for years. Robert Pattinson, who played the billionaire playboy vigilante in 2022’s The Batman won’t be reprising the role for DC Universe, because that’s how director Reeves wants to construct his BatVerse. It was planned as a standalone affair long before Gunn and Safran came on board, with plans to expand the universe via spin-off TV shows based on villains like Professor Pyg, Clayface, and Scarecrow.

Back in January, Gunn and Safran unveiled long-term plans for the upcoming chapter of DC Universe, which would connect storylines across films, TV, gaming, and animation projects. Dubbed ‘Gods and Monsters,’ the saga will platform new beginnings for well-established DC characters, starting with Superman: Legacy starring David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane — slated to release July 11, 2025. Then there’s a Creature Commandos animated show, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Booster Gold, a limited series based on Amanda Waller, and more.

Currently, there is no release window for the Arkham TV series.

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Coyote vs. Acme May Get New Distributor After Warner Bros. Shelves Project, Amazon Said to Be Prime Candidate

Coyote vs. Acme might not get shelved after all. Following reports of Warner Bros. axing the live-action-animation hybrid film as a tax write-off, it appears as though it will now be sold to other distributors. Principle photography on the movie was completed a year ago in New Mexico and upon hearing the initial announcement, a crew member leaked behind-the-scenes footage from the same, showing a reel of stunts, concept art, and set assets. Amazon Studios is reportedly the lead contender for the purchase, albeit a private screening is planned for all major streamers.

If filmmakers around the globe hadn’t rebelled against Warner Bros., this would have been the third film to get shelved as a tax write-off. The studio previously cancelled the Leslie Grace-led Batgirl live-action movie and Scoob! Holiday Haunt — both were unfinished, but it was originally claimed that the former was ‘irredeemable’ and not worthy of a theatrical release. Coyote vs. Acme almost suffered the same fate until several filmmakers cancelled meetings with the company since such cancellations were previously touted as a one-off event. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the unnamed filmmakers are taking a ‘wait-and-see approach,’ now that the film might find a new home.

Brian Duffield (No One Will Save You), a close friend of Coyote vs. Acme director Dave Green alludes that the latter stuck to the $72 million (about Rs. 599 crore) and even movie countries for 18 months to shoot the film. As a result, some film industry friends have also allegedly planned a ‘funeral screening’ at the WB lot, albeit the term is no longer appropriate because it might soon find a new home. While it’s true that canning a film as a tax write-off makes the quarterly financial results look good, it leads to uneven franchise-building and a lack of confidence from filmmakers working with the said distributor. Just like the aforementioned Batgirl, Coyote vs. Acme was part of Warner Bros.’s planned pivot from streaming content back to full-fledged theatrical releases, as the pandemic waned.

At the time, it was also decided that WB’s DC Comics slate would undergo a complete overhaul, in addition to HBO Max and Discovery+ being merged into a single streaming platform — now known as Max. Planned as a ‘popcorn-style crowd-pleaser,’ Coyote vs. Acme follows the silent Wile E. Coyote, who after failing to trap the noisy Road Runner using numerous ACME explosives and devices, decides to take the legal route and sue the corporation. In his pursuit, he teams up with a human attorney played by Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), leading to some hilarious consequences. The film also stars John Cena (Peacemaker) as the ACME CEO and Lana Condor (To All the Boys: Always and Forever).

Elsewhere, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn also reacted to the Coyote vs. Acme news on Instagram, with a picture of the titular Coyote cooking — possibly a meme reference to “let them cook.” The director also confirmed that despite the Hollywood actors’ strike — which has now ended — Superman: Legacy’s release date won’t be shifting. It is slated to release July 11, 2025, and stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/ Superman and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane.

Currently, there is no release window for Coyote vs. Acme.

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Wonder Woman 3 Reportedly Not in Development at DC Studios, Despite Gal Gadot’s Claims

Wonder Woman 3 is reportedly not in development, despite actor Gal Gadot’s comments from earlier this week. As per Variety’s sources, new DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran don’t have any plans for a Wonder Woman project, besides the Paradise Lost prequel series that was announced for Max (previously HBO Max), as part of its revamped DC Universe slate. Word about a threequel spread like wildfire when Gadot claimed in a pre-SAG-AFTRA strike interview that the aforementioned parties had privately confirmed the film’s development to her.

That statement was then emphasised in a profile she did for Flaunt magazine, promoting her newly released Netflix film Heart of Stone. “I was invited to a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and what they told me, and I’m quoting: ‘You’re in the best hands. We’re going to develop Wonder Woman 3 with you. [We] love you as Wonder Woman — you’ve got nothing to worry about.’ So time will tell,” she said. The Variety report, however, claims that nothing of the sort was promised to Gadot and even so, there was no definitive discussion of whether she would be reprising her role in the new DCU. Gadot first appeared as the Amazonian princess in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, before branching off into two standalone Wonder Woman films. She also had a cameo in The Flash, but that movie was a reset point for the universe. Also, they were made before Gunn and Safran joined the studio.

Both Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 were helmed by Patty Jenkins, who back in December, submitted a screenplay for a third untitled movie, co-written with Geoff Johns (Suicide Squad). However, the character’s vision/ treatment did not align with the vision Gunn and Safran had planned for the overhaul and therefore, got cancelled. That report, too, broke after Gadot had made positive claims on her Twitter handle, about her return with a third film. While production costs weren’t a concern for Warner Bros. at the time, they could end up saving ‘tens of millions of dollars’ by straight-up cancelling Wonder Woman 3.

Even the DC Comics presentation in January from Gunn did not mention another Wonder Woman film, instead announcing a Paradise Lost series that would serve as an origins story for the mysterious locale inhabited and governed by Amazonian women. The show will focus on the drama and political intrigue behind the society to explore its rules and the lore behind the banishment of all men from the island nation of Themyscira. “It’s almost like Game of Thrones with Westeros, but with all of the inhabitants of Paradise Island,” Gunn described, at the time.

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The Flash Speeds Into Sluggish $139 Million Debut at the Global Box Office

The Flash has sped into a sluggish $139 million (about Rs. 1,140 crore) opening at the global box office just shy of Black Adam’s opening weekend, which stood at $140 million (about Rs. 1,148 crore). Marking the reset point that ushers in James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe, the film is reportedly performing worse than projections, earning merely $64 million (about Rs. 525 crore) from within the US and Canada. From everywhere else in the world, the film collected $75 million (about Rs. 615 crore), below the predicted $85–$95 million margin.

Several factors might have played into this, mainly surrounding its lead Ezra Miller who was largely barred from appearing in The Flash’s publicity campaigns, following his run-ins with the law in 2022. Around that time, Warner Bros. concocted three release scenarios for the film, with the studio even considering scrapping the $200 million (about Rs. 1,639 crore) movie if the actor refused to seek help or cooperate. Reshooting the same film with a different actor would’ve also been impossible, since there are two versions of Barry Allen in the film, with his face present in almost every scene. Therefore, much of the marketing was done with Sasha Calle, who plays Supergirl in The Flash.

Meanwhile, its director Andy Mushietti confirmed that Miller will continue playing the Scarlet Speedster, as long as he is involved in the superhero franchise. In case a sequel is greenlit, he wants Miller back, saying: “I don’t think there’s anyone that can play that character as well as they did. The other depictions of the character are great, but this particular vision of the character, they just excelled in doing it,” in an interview. Even ignoring that The Flash does not have a star of Dwayne Johnson’s stature for marketing purposes (Black Adam), the film had one thing in common with other recently successful films — multiverse-hopping shenanigans.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the first thing that comes to mind, lifting the Oscar award earlier this year, for Best Picture. From the superhero realm, we’ve seen back-to-back wins from Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and more recently, Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse.

With the aforementioned figures, the DC Extended Universe continues to underperform. As per Deadline, China took the top spot, earning The Flash an estimated $13.8 million (about Rs. 113 crore), which is still lower than the expected traffic. Following next is Mexico with $9.4 million (about Rs. 77 crore), while the UK added another $5.3 million (about Rs. 43 crore) to the pot. Korea came in fourth, making $3.8 million (about Rs. 31 crore), closely followed by Brazil with $3.5 million (about Rs. 29 crore). The film has a fairly clear runway until the end of June, which brings Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny to theatres.

Hopefully, Gunn’s revamped DC Universe finds the right footing and propels the franchise back into profit. Just last week, he hired The Flash’s director Muschietti to direct the new Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, which brings Damian Wayne/ Robin into the mix.

The Flash is now showing in theatres worldwide.

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The Batman Director Matt Reeves to Meet With James Gunn to Discuss BatVerse Future: Report

The Batman director Matt Reeves has an upcoming meeting with new DC Studio co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. As per a new report, the filmmaker celebrated Cloverfield’s 15-year anniversary and confirmed that his BatVerse will be developed parallel with the new DC Universe. The conversation comes in the wake of the DC Comics brand getting a ‘reset’, with the new bosses still mapping out a 10-year-long plan for an intertwined storyline akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The idea of the meeting is to go over long-term storyline plans from either party and ensure they don’t conflict with each other.

“We’re actually supposed to meet in the next few weeks because they want to talk to me about the broad plan, and then they want to hear the BatVerse plan. We’re just getting together to talk about all of that,” Reeves said, as per a Collider report. “Look, I’m excited to hear what they’re going to do. The BatVerse thing, as James has said, and as Peter has said, is kind of its own thing they’re letting us do.” Reeves kicked off his The Batman universe last year with Robert Pattinson in the starring role, which earned critical acclaim and grossed $770.8 million (about Rs. 6,275 crore) at the global box office. It currently sits at the seventh position among the highest-grossing films of 2022.

The Batman Review: Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves Make for a Moody Visceral Opera

When Gunn and Safran came on board as new heads, and made tough calls for a unified DC story, fans were worried about Reeves’ vision getting meddled with. The duo have already made some controversial decisions in light of future plans, which include scrapping Wonder Woman 3 and cancelling Henry Cavill’s return as Superman. Gunn also recently confirmed that he had been working on a script focusing on a younger version of Superman — not an origin story — though there’s no word on who will direct it. According to Variety, the pair is expected to present their 10-year plan — spanning movies, shoes, animation, and video games — to Warner Bros. Discovery executives, later this month. Those plans, for now, do not include a Black Adam sequel either.

It is possible that Gunn and Safran would adopt DC Comics’ Elseworlds strategy, which relies on alternate realities that run separately from the main arc. “I had this dream for the way I wanted that to play out and that’s part of what I’m going to be talking to them about in a few weeks,” Reeves added. “They’re going to be talking to me about what they’re doing in their 10-year plan or certainly what’s in the near future as well so that we can understand that we’re not — it’s air traffic control — we don’t want to be crashing into each other.”

Reeves, who is currently deep into writing The Batman sequel has also confirmed that the film will continue to focus on Bruce Wayne’s arc instead of its outlandish rogue’s gallery. “[…] a lot of times what happens is, after you do the first one, then suddenly other Rogues Gallery characters come in, and they kind of take over, and then Batman takes a backseat sort of character-wise, or emotionally,” he explained.

Previous reports confirmed that the director is looking to expand on the villains via spin-off stories, with characters ranging from Scarecrow, Clayface, and Professor Pyg, as a means to build out a larger universe. The first of them is the Colin Farrell-led Penguin spin-off series, which will soon begin filming. Reeves pointed out that the series will be ‘tightly connected’ to the theatrical release, presumably functioning as a foundation for The Batman sequel. “There’s actually a whole little fabric of things we’re wanting to do, the way we’re doing with [the] Penguin and how that comes back into how that will lead into the sequel, and what that sequel is going to be,” Reeves said.

The Batman is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

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James Gunn denies Gal Gadot ‘booted’ from ‘Wonder Woman

James Gunn is wielding the Lasso of Truth.

DC head James Gunn, 56, said Monday that “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot was not “booted” from the franchise, reports The Independent.

Following the box office failure of “Wonder Woman 2” and Gunn’s ascension to co-chair and CEO, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” director shelved the third installment of the franchise.

The announcement to shelve the project came days after Gadot, 37, tweeted how excited she was to continue playing the superhero.

“I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to play such an incredible, iconic character and more than anything I’m grateful for YOU. The fans. Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you,” Gadot tweeted.

Gunn recently caused a Kryptonite-level scandal after choosing to nix Henry Cavill from playing Superman. The actor also recently stepped down from his role in Netflix’s “The Witcher.”

“I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill posted on Instagram ““After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life.”

Fans said Gunn’s decision to boot both Cavill and Gadot did not inspire confidence.
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Gunn responded by saying “I’m not sure where you’re getting that we ‘booted’ Gal.”
Broadimage/Shutterstock
The announcement to shelve the project came days after Gadot, 37, tweeted how excited she was to continue playing the superhero.
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett
“I’ve been so grateful for the opportunity to play such an incredible, iconic character and more than anything I’m grateful for YOU. The fans. Can’t wait to share her next chapter with you,” Gadot tweeted.
Warner Bros. via AP

Fans slammed Gunn’s decision and said that “booting” both Cavill and Gadot did not inspire confidence.

Gunn responded by saying “I’m not sure where you’re getting that we ‘booted’ Gal.”



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Patty Jenkins Says She Felt “There Was Nothing I Could Do” to Save Third ‘Wonder Woman’ Film

Director Patty Jenkins is addressing the reports that her third Wonder Woman film will not be moving forward, releasing a lengthy statement on Twitter denying that she “walked away” from Wonder Woman 3. Jenkins — whose treatment for the film was reportedly rejected by DC’s James Gunn and Peter Safran — told her followers she felt “there was nothing I could do” to make her movie happen.

“Sigh… I’m not one to talk about private career matters, but I will not allow inaccuracies to continue. Here are the facts,” she began her statement, before sharing, “When there started being backlash about WW3 not happening, the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it or walked away started to spread. This is simply not true.”

Responding to reports that she refused to revise her treatment for the film, Jenkins wrote, “I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”

Gunn seemingly supported Jenkins on Twitter, where he replied to her note by writing, “I can attest that all of Peter and my interactions with you were only pleasant and professional.”

Jenkins said that although her time with Wonder Woman has come to an end, she wants to close the chapter positively.

“I do not want what has been a beautiful journey with WW to land on negative note. I have loved and been so honored to be the person who got to make these last two Wonder Woman films,” she wrote. “She is an incredible character. Living in and around her values makes one a better person every day. I wish her and her legacy an amazing future ahead, with or without me.”

The director also thanked her crew and fans, plus Wonder Woman actresses Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot. She wrote, “Thank you ALL for this wonderful journey. Keep up the Wonder Woman spirit. Any day that you face struggles, try asking: What would Wonder Woman do? I hope her beacon of love, truth and justice is always there to lead the way for you, as she has done for me.”

Jenkins also addressed her Star Wars film Rogue Squadron, writing in her statement that she is still attached to the project but is unsure of its future.

“I am still on it and that project has been in active development ever since. I don’t know if it will happen or not,” she shared.



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