DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that a fourth DCU movie has come together, and there are four more projects expected to follow next in his Gods & Monsters plan. This year, DCU audiences have already enjoyed Supergirl and Clayface in theaters, in addition to Lanterns on HBO. The studio is already hard at work on more projects, including animated series like Creature Commandos, Mister Miracle, and Blue Beetle, live-action shows such as The People v Gorilla Grodd and Lanterns Season 2, and the much-anticipated Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.
Responding to a fan on Threads, James Gunn confirmed on October 16 that the first director's cut of Man of Tomorrow is complete, indicating that he was soon to show it to his fellow co-CEO Peter Safran:
"I'm showing Peter Safran my first Director's Cut today - he's the first person to see it obviously..."
This marks the fourth DCU movie in Gunn's Gods & Monsters slate to put together a complete cut after the already-released Superman and Supergirl, as well as Clayface. For reference, the director's cut, in this context, refers to the stage of a film's post-production after being refined from the rougher, unpolished assembly cut and editor's cut.
This still comes before the movie's final cut though, the version of the film that is released to theaters. While the movie therefore still has a bit to go before it is fully complete, it seems that steady progress is being made on Man of Tomorrow thus far.
DC Studios has only Man of Tomorrow slated for 2027 (landing on July 9), with The Batman 2 following in February 2028 and Dynamic Duo in September 2028. However, Deadline reported that The Batman 2's production has "temporarily paused while [director Matt Reeves] focuses on a family matter," and said it was too early to tell whether the hold-up will push back the long-awaited sequel. Director Steven Soderbergh has stepped in to assist with the rest of the movie's filming, so hopefully the film should wrap the rest of its production smoothly.
To settle a U.S. antitrust lawsuit and complete Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros., CEO David Ellison committed to releasing 30 movies per year, rising to 32 after 2 years. Ellison will expect DC Studios to be a major contributor to that target, possibly increasing its current output of two annual releases.
As Dynamic Duo and The Batman 2 are Elseworlds movies, one of which is an obscure, uniquely animated project, DC Studios may still aim to put a new DCU movie into production for 2028 to avoid a full gap after Man of Tomorrow. Gunn already confirmed that he has a "good idea" of what the next DCU movie will be after Man of Tomorrow, and there are four clear contenders:
These 4 Major DCU Movies Could Be Next to Start Production
The Brave and the Bold
Even with The Batman 2 well over a year away from its current release date in February 2028, DC Studios is working behind the scenes on The Brave and the Bold to introduce the DCU's Dark Knight. The project will feature Bruce Wayne, Damian Wayne, and the Bat-Family, with The Flash writer Christina Hodson and director Andy Muschietti developing The Brave and the Bold as we speak.
Jeff Sneider claimed on The Hot Mic that The Brave and the Bold is "further along" than most think, and the studio is eager to shoot in 2027. However, it's tough to imagine production starting on the DCU's Batman reboot until The Batman 2 has wrapped, which now looks further away after its temporary pause.
Superman 3
James Gunn recently confirmed that he is "already in" the process of writing his next DCU movie after Man of Tomorrow, because he "had to do something while [he] was waiting for the assembly [cut]." Many have theorized that the movie in question will be a Man of Tomorrow sequel, concluding a Superman trilogy.
The DC Studios co-CEO didn't confirm he was writing Man of Tomorrow until June 2025, one month before Superman's release, giving him a major head start. Perhaps Gunn will continue this biannual schedule and target a July 2029 release for Superman 3, although that likely wouldn't be shooting until 2028.
Wonder Woman
Having reportedly abandoned plans for the DCU's Amazonian prequel show Paradise Lost, the studio is officially developing a Wonder Woman movie. The script is being written by Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira, who was taken off her Teen Titans project to prioritize the female-led reboot, although it remains unclear whether Supergirl's critical and financial disaster affected those plans.
There have been rumors that Adria Arjona's top-secret part in Man of Tomorrow is, in fact, the DCU's Wonder Woman, a role she has been fan-cast for some time. If the Princess of Themyscira is introduced with a minor part in Man of Tomorrow, that could tee up the Wonder Woman reboot as the DCU's next movie afterward, just as audiences saw with Milly Alcock's Supergirl after Superman.
Savage Hunters
The Wrap reported that DC Studios is "prioritizing" a Deathstroke and Bane team-up movie, which was written by Moon Knight scribe Matthew Orton and is now being referred to as Savage Hunters. Unless the Supergirl disaster or Paramount acquisition has shifted plans at DC Studios, there is a high chance that the villainous crossover will be the DCU's next movie despite not being a part of Gunn's original Gods & Monsters vision.
Peacemaker and Superbad director Greg Mottola was reportedly a frontrunner to helm the team-up movie, but it's unclear if he ever signed on. Online rumors stated that Deathstroke and Bane's adventure may take place in Salvation, Rick Flag Sr.'s metahuman prison, which may return in Man of Tomorrow, possibly setting up John Cena's Peacemaker to appear, given that he is currently trapped there.
