After his move from the MCU to the DC Universe (DCU), DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn hinted at how his new DC slate may copy one aspect from Marvel Studios' long history of releases.
In the very near future, James Gunn is set to unveil his new plan for the DCU, which will be the first big step forward after taking the top executive position for Warner Bros.' changing DC story. This will seemingly kick off a 10-year plan for the expanding DC story, which will look to remain competitive with Marvel as the MCU pushes deeper into its Multiverse Saga.
Considering the success the MCU has had grouping its releases into storytelling Phases for nearly 15 years, many have wondered if Gunn would take the same route for his story, especially with the slate spanning over the next eight to ten years.
And as that announcement draws nearer, one rumor hints that DC may be taking one page out of Marvel's massive book.
James Gunn Teasing "Chapters" for DCU Movies
In the comments section of a recent Instagram post, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn teased that DC Studios will announce projects from its first "chapter" of storytelling in the near future rather than the entire 8-10 year slate:
"I'm not announcing the 8-10 year slate. Just a few projects from the first chapter."
Many have now theorized that this is how Gunn will organize the new DC Universe, using the term "chapters" the way that Marvel Studios has done with "Phases" since the MCU debuted in 2008.
DCU "Chapter 1" Coming from James Gunn?
Looking ahead to what James Gunn has in store for this new era of the DCU, it might not come as a surprise to see the franchise take what's worked for Marvel Studios for such a long time.
Even though Gunn himself has admitted to not being aware of what Phase his movies are in, he may look to use this idea to help better organize his own franchise now that he's in charge of such a big story.
The only questions now are whether this "chapter" idea is truly what Gunn plans to do with the DCU and how long each chapter will last.
For perspective, the MCU's Phase 1 lasted from 2008 to 2012 and was made up of six movies starting with Iron Man and finishing with The Avengers. Considering the state of the superhero movie universe in this current era, Gunn certainly has the option to announce a bigger slate if he so chooses, although he may opt to keep things simpler in order to make sure fans are hooked from the get-go.
Before Gunn took over his post at DC Studios, the idea of Phases had already been brought up with the old DCU, with Dwayne Johnson noting that his Black Adam solo movie "will serve as [their] phase 1 of storytelling." Even though that specific story is being restarted from the ground up, Gunn and his team may look to his old stomping grounds for inspiration in that way.
James Gunn and his partner Peter Safran are expected to announce their new slate for the DC Universe in the imminent future.
