DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn confirmed that the DCU's earliest project was officially cancelled, alluding that it will never see the light of day. When Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the co-CEOs of DC Studios, the duo announced a full slate of projects for the new interconnected universe that included both movies and TV shows. Since that announcement, projects like Clayface have been added, while others have been seemingly shelved.
In an interview with BobaTalks (shared via YouTube), James Gunn was asked about the status of the Arkham TV show, specifically, if there was any chance for the series to be released in the future or if it was cancelled entirely. The DCU mastermind revealed that the only word to describe Arkham's future release is "hope," because the show "isn't something that's being developed" anymore. Ultimately, he confirmed that Arkham "just didn't work:"
"Hope, sure. But that isn't something that's being developed by anyone right now. You know, it just didn't work, so..."
For reference, Arkham was a TV show that was in development as early as 2022. It was originally set to be a spin-off of Matt Reeves' The Batman, but it was eventually turned into a DCU project.
Multiple reports indicated that the project's development had come to a halt, and, in July 2024, Matt Reeves revealed that it was cancelled. However, many fans held out hope that it would be picked back up by someone for the DCU, but no future updates were ever given for the series.
Based on Gunn's recent quote, Arkham is still on his mind, but it does not seem to be a priority for the creative minds at DC Studios, as other projects are more important. Despite the DCU still being a new franchise, Arkham is not the only announced project that has seemingly been shelved, and other titles are also at risk of being cancelled.
Every DCU Project That Could Be Cancelled
The Authority
The Authority is a movie that was originally announced to be released within the DCU's first chapter, Gods and Monsters. Much like The Boys and Invincible, it was intended to be a more violent entry in the superhero movie genre, as it would follow a group of anti-heroes rather than traditional superheroes.
The Authority has not been officially cancelled by DC Studios, but it was confirmed that there have been issues getting the script off the ground. Additionally, it appears that the DCU is focusing more on other films, such as Clayface, Supergirl, and The Brave and the Bold.
The Authority could still be released at some point, but fans should not hold their breath for it. In the overall narrative of the DCU, it does not seem overly important, so if it were to be canned, it would not be that big of a deal.
Sgt. Rock
Technically, the Sgt. Rock movie is still moving forward at DC Studios, but it appears to be going slower than most other entries. Many already thought that the movie was cancelled, but in June 2025, Gunn revealed that it was still in active development.
Sgt. Rock is one of those films, though, that many fans will need to see set photos of in order to actually believe it is still happening. Hopefully, DC Studios won't take a page out of the Star Wars book and announce a bunch of projects that will never gain any traction, but that could at least be the case for Sgt. Rock.
Swamp Thing
Logan director James Mangold is still attached to a DC Studios movie titled Swamp Thing, and, while that is exciting for many fans, Mangold's involvement is also the reason it has been delayed and is moving more slowly than it would if someone else were directing it.
According to Peter Safran and Gunn, Swamp Thing "is not integral to the larger story that [they're] telling," so it is not that big of a deal that it is taking so long. After all, it was Mangold's story ideas and pitch that got Gunn and Safran so excited about the title, so they understandably want him to be the one at the helm.
Mangold is still working on his Dawn of the Jedi Star Wars film, so perhaps when that is finally released, he will be able to move on to Swamp Thing. If time continues to pass, however, DC Studios may have to cancel it.
Waller
Waller was one of the earliest DCU projects in DC Studios' announced slate. It was intended to be released before Peacemaker Season 2, bridging the gap between the two installments. However, the creative minds were unable to finalize the script to Gunn's satisfaction.
It is important to remember that Gunn stated multiple times that no DCU project will go into production until the entire script is ironed out completely. That seems to be the exact problem with Waller, so if everything can get worked out with its script, it should be ready for filming.
However, at this point, it may not be beneficial to bring Waller into the DCU, as Peacemaker did such a great job on its own.
