DC Studios has already canceled nearly half of the projects announced as part of CEO James Gunn's original Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate, back when the company was still under Warner Bros. Discovery. It's been over three years since James Gunn announced 10 movies and shows from the DCU's Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters in a special video. 

Fans have enjoyed four of those projects thus far: Creature Commandos, Superman, Supergirl, and Lanterns, with Peacemaker Season 2 added later. The studio has also since greenlit Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, Creature Commandos Season 2, and The People vs. Gorilla Grodd, all of which are well into development/production, despite not being part of Warner Bros. and DC's initial slate reveal in January 2023. 

Six projects have leapfrogged four others from the DCU slate that haven't made any major progress. While some of those projects are still in the oven (albeit perhaps one on low heat) at DC Studios, others have been abandoned and may not be released at all for various reasons.

DC Studios has landed on a historic title for its Superman spin-off series, which arrives in 2027. The studio was officially established in 2022 when James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as co-CEOs, marking the dawn of a new era for DC on streaming and in theaters. Their tenure has seen a slew of films and shows announced under titles that changed over time. 2025's Superman was first announced as Superman: Legacy, while the DCU's follow-up movie, Supergirl, was introduced as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. These title changes show no signs of stopping, and another DC Studios project, this time a streaming series, has now received its name. This one, though, is unlike any alteration in DC Studios' short history.

Reports of a Superman spinoff series centered on Jimmy Olsen first surfaced in November 2025, reportedly under the title DC Crime. In June this year, a Writers Guild of America registry listing seemingly revealed the title as American Villain, a direct nod to the creators' own Netflix series. That, too, turned out not to be final, as HBO Max officially gave a series order to the spinoff on August 21 under the title The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a playful riff on courtroom-drama naming like The People v. O. J. Simpson. 

James Gunn's DC reboot has introduced many intriguing villains since it officially commenced with Creature Commandos. The interconnected universe is about to bring Clayface to live-action, and ahead of his film's release, DC Studios has teased five impressive superhuman abilities he'll be putting to use in the DCU. Clayface arrives in theaters October 23, a body horror film directed by James Watkins from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini, marking the DCU's first foray into horror.

Clayface unveiled its final trailer on September 24, teasing Matt Hagen's tragic origin story and what fans can expect heading into theaters. The footage doesn't show Clayface's final form, a deliberate choice, since Watkins has said the full creature will be omitted from the marketing until release, but it does put some of his most impressive powers on display as snippets of Hagen's descent play out. 

Per the footage, Hagen is an actor whose face is carved up by a Gotham crime boss, leaving him badly disfigured in one gory image the trailer doesn't shy away from. He seeks the help of Dr. Caitlin Corr, a scientist who puts him on a dangerous experimental drug meant to restore his face. 

DC Studios is putting all of its eggs in the Batman basket. On the animation front, Batman: Knightfall - Part 2: Knightquest is coming soon, continuing the story that pits the Dark Knight against his strongest foe, Bane. An animated adaptation of Absolute Batman also looms large, as it'll adapt one of the most beloved modern DC Comics titles. But all eyes remain on Batman's live-action future, which may be less complicated than DC Studios Co-Chair James Gunn once predicted.

Before Gunn took the reins at DC, he was working on Peacemaker, a spinoff of his 2021 critically acclaimed film The Suicide Squad. Taking his talents to the other side of the aisle gave the filmmaker a unique perspective on the superhero genre, which he often used to join conversations on social media. One topic that caught his eye on X in 2022 was the idea of multiple live-action projects about the same character running at the same time.

Gunn had strong feelings on the subject, mostly because fans had called for him to add a popular movie character to Peacemaker.

Avengers: Doomsday arrives in theaters on December 18, less than three months away. Marvel Studios is a marketing juggernaut, and its biggest blockbuster yet is getting the best promo possible during the most critical period of its theatrical build-up. Posters have always been one of the studio's biggest advertising weapons, and over the past few weeks at least 25 pieces of artwork have surfaced online, sending anticipation for the movie through the roof. The promo material spotlights Giant-Man, Human Torch, Black Panther, and more of the film's biggest heroes, and of course the villain at the center of it all: Doctor Doom.

The new wave of artwork made its way online via HEXFacility, giving fans high-definition images of their favorite characters. The posters offer a fair idea of how intense the movie will be, with several of them showing the heroes facing off against Doctor Doom. They also reveal that Doom will not be working alone, spotlighting the intriguing allies the Russo Brothers, who helm the blockbuster, have surrounded him with. Interestingly, the movie will mark the first time a Marvel film brings one infamous ally Doom relies on heavily in the comics into live-action. Other posters highlight the immense power upgrades some of the heroes have received, placing them a step above where they were when we last saw them.

25 Avengers: Doomsday Posters Reveal Exciting Details About the Movie

James Gunn's DC surprised the world when it announced its casting choice for Superman 2's Brainiac in December 2025, and several months on, the decision looks even better. The sequel to 2025's Superman is confirmed to arrive on July 9, 2027, and it will mark the first time Brainiac has featured in a live-action film. The alien android from Colu is so dangerous that his presence forces the Man of Steel into an uneasy alliance with his sworn enemy, Lex Luthor.

Highly revered German actor Lars Eidinger is the man playing Brainiac in the DC Universe, and he doesn't take the opportunity for granted at all, proving he's the perfect man for the job even before the movie hits theaters. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Eidinger highlighted what drew him to the role, describing the movie as one that holds "serious philosophical ambition":

"It's not as different as you might think. Even if it seems surprising at first, these films have a serious philosophical ambition. They carry great allegorical weight for me. Take just the word "super" — it's used as a superlative, for something excellent, wonderful. But "super" really only means "over" or "above." So Superman is the Übermensch. You have the Super Ego. There's already a deep psychological dimension built in."

James Gunn's DC has officially set its second Elseworlds movie, arriving in 2028 alongside Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II, which recently paused production. When Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran took over DC in late 2022, the DC Studios banner was formed, and under it, two labels were created: the DC Universe, home to DC's canon films and shows, and the Elseworlds umbrella, which covers the non-canon series and movies. DC now has two upcoming Elseworlds movies after the classification of one major Batman-adjacent film was clarified.

Dynamic Duo has officially been classified as an Elseworlds movie under the DC Studios umbrella and has been given a new September 22, 2028 release date after initially being set for June 30 of that year. Dynamic Duo was first announced by James Gunn in 2024 as a story centered on Batman characters Jason Todd and Dick Grayson. Although Gunn has said from the jump that the film will be Elseworlds, rumors have swirled in recent weeks that the movie would be canonized and brought into the mainline DCU continuity, with one report even claiming its voice cast would reprise their roles in live-action.

However, these rumors have been put to bed. Logan Kim, who voices Jason Todd in the upcoming animated movie alongside Mason Thames as Dick Grayson, confirmed that the film is not part of the DCU canon, definitively saying "No" in an Instagram comment on a fan post claiming otherwise. The post has since been deleted.

In superhero movies and TV shows, it's not always the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog. Spider-Man, a relatively scrawny hero, brings down villains much larger than him all the time. But being big does have its advantages; just look at the Hulk, who intimidates everyone with his size. DC has a few heroes like that, and a Galactus-sized one just had the green carpet rolled out for them by James Gunn and Co. in Lanterns.

In HBO's Lanterns Episode 6, "Bad Optics," Aaron Pierre's John Stewart helped put together a funeral for his former mentor, Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan. The fallen hero was buried in his Green Lantern uniform and ring. And after everyone left the graveyard, John got to work: digging Hal up, taking his ring, and making contact with the "Halogram," setting up an emotional moment in the season finale. 

A new theory suggests that Charles Dance could be playing a notable DC villain in The Batman - Part II, the next chapter in Robert Pattinson's run as the Dark Knight. Dance's casting was first reported in April and confirmed by director Matt Reeves the following month, though the film's release has since been pushed back to February 18, 2028. Even with the delay, excitement for the sequel hasn't fully stopped, and with the movie still roughly a year and a half away, the biggest question is who the main villain will be. That's a sharp contrast to Part I, when Paul Dano's casting as the Riddler was reported years in advance.

Putting the pieces together, one theory pinpoints that Dance's true role could actually be Hugo Strange, the calculating psychiatrist-turned-criminal mastermind who has long been one of Batman's most cerebral foes. 

On paper, the casting logic holds up: Dance has spent decades playing controlling authority figures, making his fit for a character who manipulates Gotham from behind a shroud of respectability really add up.

Creature Commandos Season 2 is set to add one major DCU hero with Justice League ties into the mix that could introduce a major shift into Task Force M's dynamic. The ending of Creature Commandos Season 1 introduced a new version of Task Force M following the death of one core member, Nina Mazursky, who was killed by Princess Ilana Rostovic of Pokolistan. Amanda Waller promoted the Bride to become Task Force M's leader, showing a roster that includes Doctor Phosphorus and Weasel, a rebuilt (and upgraded) G.I. Robot, Nosferata, Khalis, and former Suicide Squad member King Shark. Creature Commandos' debut season emphasized that this team is less interested in being good because of the amount of bad imbued in this roster, but a new report could change that. 

Captain Atom, the Nathaniel version of the character from DC Comics who has been part of multiple Justice League teams, is set to appear as a recurring character in Creature Commandos Season 2.

The details about Captain Atom's role in the upcoming DCU series are still being kept under wraps, but his inclusion is a significant boost to Creature Commandos as he can be a stabilizing force of good in a team full of morally complex misfits. 

The Lanterns team already has one Green Lantern in mind to replace Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan in a potential Season 2. James Gunn's DCU made a controversial decision for the Green Lantern mythos in entering the story at the tail-end of Hal Jordan's career. The DC Studios and HBO original Lanterns took things one step further by killing off Hal, with his then-girlfriend Kerry Kane killing him to keep her dark family secrets. The eight-episode season ended with Aaron Pierre's John Stewart stepping up to become Green Lantern with a unique Dark Lantern, leaving his partnerless for Season 2.

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy spoke with The Ringer-Verse after the season finale and was asked which Green Lanterns could come on board for Season 2, replacing Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan after his unfortunate death. Well, Mundy confirmed that one writer, Vanessa Baden Kelly, has been "talking a big Kilowog game for a long time," advocating for the giant alien space cop to join Lanterns:

"Vanessa [Baden Kelly]'s been talking a big Kilowog game for a long time. We've tossed out a lot of different things."

DC Studios' Lanterns showrunner addressed why Kerry Kane really left Gotham. Lanterns introduced a new love interest for Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan: Kelly MacDonald's Kerry Kane, a member of the Sheridan County Sheriff's Department. Despite having built a life and Manhunter-filled family in Rushville, Kane's origins are in Batman's hometown of Gotham City, which she fled many years before the HBO series, and was saved by Poorna Jagannathan's Zoe Macon.

The DCU drama established that Kerry grew up being neglected by her father, who was part of a criminal organization that ultimately killed him in 2007 after discovering that he was a snitch. She fled Gotham toward Rushville, where her car broke down, and she was confronted by members of that same criminal organization in a local diner, only to be rescued by Zoe, aka the Manhunter.

Skydance is officially reintroducing DC Studios to the world with a brand-new description teasing what's next for the DCU. Warner Bros. has finally merged with Paramount after a grueling, controversial process that sparked plenty of debate about media literacy, free speech, and the future of entertainment. Now simply going by Skydance, the media giant is the new owner of properties like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and, of course, DC. The deal marks DC's third regime change in the past decade, but luckily, the new management looks to be putting its trust in the current team (planned all along) over at DC Studios.

With the merger now complete, the Skydance Corporation, run by David Ellison, has launched an official DC Studios page on its website. Its new bio opens by promising a "long-term creative architecture" for the DC Universe:

"DC Studios is committed to building a long-term creative architecture to realize the power and wonder of the DC Universe across film, TV, animation and gaming under a single banner."

DC Studios has been pushing Clayface as an R-rated body-horror experience that happens to star one of Batman's most iconic supervillains. However, ever since it was announced before a Batman had even been cast in the DCU, it has had endless comparisons to Sony Pictures' poorly conceived spin-off movies starring Spider-Man's most B-list villains.

In a press release commemorating Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which now both fall under Skydance, the company's site has been updated with a section dedicated to DC Studios. In it, the studio's past, present, and future successes are mentioned, including Clayface, which was mentioned in passing with the line: "...to the chilling Gotham anti-hero of Clayface"

The season finale of Lanterns, "Dirt and Stars," finally answered the mystery of who murdered Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan, along with whether or not Aaron Pierre's John Stewart would get his own power ring before the credits rolled. However, aside from those revelations, the real focus was on the bonds between Stewart and Shea Pritchard's Noah Macon, Kelly Macdonald's Kerry Kane and Jordon, but most importantly, Stewart and Jordan.

Of course, their dynamic was cut short when Jordan was murdered in modern-day, with only his less cynical backup consciousness, Halogram, left to pick up where Jordan left off with a disgruntled Jordan.

In a follow-up interview after the finale, Lanterns co-creators Tom King, Damon Lindelof, and Chris Mundy spoke with the Los Angeles Times, and one topic brought up was Hal Jordan's death and the lack of closure it left between him and John Stewart.

DC Studios' upcoming slate stretches well beyond Lanterns, with a growing list of movies and TV series in the works. All eight episodes of Lanterns Season 1 are now streaming on HBO Max, but the new series from James Gunn and DC Studios is just a glimpse into what the future holds for the creative architect's incoming vision. The DCU got its canonical start with the Creature Commandos TV series before most people were reintroduced to the world with 2025's Superman. Now, a few more projects in, the new DC cinematic universe has built up a stronger reputation, especially with Lanterns proving to be a well-regarded hit.

The Lanterns Season 1 finale, "Dirt and Stars," debuted on HBO Max on October 4. Without delving into spoilers, the episode answers some of the show's biggest questions while leaving plenty of doors open for the future. Gunn even confirmed on Threads that Episode 8 was a "season finale," not necessarily a series finale. 

And fans hopefully won't have to wait for a potential second season to see more of John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), as the actor is set to reprise the role in Gunn's Man of Tomorrow next summer. 

Lanterns concept art unveiled the most detailed look at John Stewart's new lantern forged by Sinestro (and it has a completely intriguing name). The much-talked-about finale of Lanterns finally delivered the clearest path to the Green Lantern future of Aaron Pierre's John Stewart. The final episode confirmed that Sinestro forged a power battery in Antaan's homeworld under pressure from Noah Macon (the last remaining Manhunter on Earth). This power battery was meant to recharge Hal Jordan's ring, and it was not a standard-issued Corps lantern. The planet's influence left yellow fear energy threaded throughout the green willpower inside it, and its design has visible cracks rather than being polished. 

Lanterns Episode 8's ending showed John claiming the Sinestro-forged lantern to charge Hal's ring, thereby turning him into an unsanctioned Green Lantern of Earth while Guy Gardner guards the cosmic section of Sector 2814. 

Ed Natividad, a DC Studios concept artist from DC Studios' Lanterns, confirmed in an Instagram post that John Stewart's new lantern is called "Dark Lantern," while also unveiling a detailed look at the Sinestro-forged power battery that shows why it's unique from the others. 

Lanterns creator Tom Kong explained what's really going on in John Stewart's new position as the Green Lantern of Earth. The Lanterns' finale, which premiered on HBO Max on October 4, completely changed the DCU forever by confirming that Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan is truly dead and John Stewart is building his own Lantern identity from a complicated setup. The finale revealed that Noah (who was revealed to be a Manhunter) broke Sinestro out of prison and brought him to Antaan's ruined homeworld to forge a charging lantern. This battery was not a Guardian issue since it was built on a planet soaked in fear, and Sinestro later told John that fear can be used rather than denied. 

The final moments of Lanterns revealed a pivotal confrontation between John Stewart and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). As expected, Guy rejected the unsanctioned battery and told John to take the ring off Hal's body. John declared that he would serve as the Green Lantern of Earth, with neither the Green Lantern Corps nor the Guardians giving orders. He then sent Guy off with a message to the Guardians to leave him alone. John Stewart's decision to be a self-appointed Green Lantern of Earth definitely has massive ramifications across the DCU. 

Speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lanterns creator Tom King confirmed that John Stewart is not 100% a Green Lantern because Sinestro made his power battery with yellow and fear in it, emphasizing that he is his own completely unique creation and the classic Green Lantern oath doesn't technically apply to John: 

Lanterns Episode 7 ended on a major cliffhanger as John Stewart and the Halogram traveled to the planet Zoe Macon, aka the Manhunter, left for dead. They scoured the area for clues and stumbled upon a hideout where a mysterious figure had set up shop. After a quick scuffle, the duo learned they were facing off with Sinestro, Hal's mentor. Episode 8, "Dirt and Stars," picks up that thread and runs with it when Sinestro reveals a way to bring Hal Jordan back to life.

Since John doesn't know Sinestro, he's more open to hearing what he has to say than the Halogram. The former Green Lantern reveals that Noah Macon, Zoe's grandson and the last Manhunter, broke him out of jail and brought him to the planet as part of a master scheme. Noah's goal is to acquire his own Green Lantern power ring, giving him a way to defeat the Guardians should they come looking for him.

DC Studios is officially coming under the control of Paramount CEO David Ellison following a lengthy acquisition process, and the new brand announcement video omitted any reference to Zack Snyder's DCEU movies. Even five years after Zack Snyder's Justice League and after the first two years of the DCEU, many of the director's loyal fans remain convinced that a change in ownership could bring him back to DC Studios to complete his larger storyline, which was abandoned in 2017.

Paramount CEO David Ellison officially announced Skydance as the name for his newly merged studio with Warner Bros. Pictures in a special sizzle reel. Ahead of the acquisition's looming completion in a matter of days, the announcement video featured footage from both studios' history, including clips from three different DC franchises, none of which are tied to Zack Snyder's DCEU (aka the SnyderVerse).