The first live-action Max series to release from DC Studios will be different than once thought after a new announcement from James Gunn.
James Gunn Announces Major Shift for Peacemaker Season 2
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn offered an update on some of the DCU's live-action shows on Instagram. In the post, Gunn confirmed the studio will be "shooting Superman and Peacemaker [Season 2] simultaneously" as the latter is set to begin production this summer:
"Yes, we’ll be shooting Superman & Peacemaker simultaneously; yes, I’ve written all the episodes; but, no, in the interest of getting the show out there I won’t be able to direct them all (only some)..."
The DCU boss clarified Viola Davis' Amanda Waller series, Waller, remains in development and Jeremy Carver and Christal Henry are "hard at work writing great stuff." But as the "schedule was impacted by the strikes," Waller will now release after John Cena's sophomore solo superhero outing;
"Yes, Waller’s still happening & Jeremy & Christal are hard at work writing great stuff, but the schedule was impacted by the strikes so Waller will come after [Peacemaker] in the larger order of things."
Waller was initially expected to be released before Peacemaker Season 2 while Gunn focussed on developing Superman, with the Viola Davis-led spin-off set to feature several members of Team Peacemaker.
As Waller was planned as the DCU's first live-action Max series, this marks a change of plans for DC Studios as that honor will instead go to Peacemaker.
That said, this will not be the first live-action show altogether from DC Studios, as The Penguin is expected to premiere on Max in late 2024, but that will take place in Matt Reeves' The Batman "Crime Saga" as opposed to Gunn's DCU.
The all-new DC cinematic universe will also release one canon series before then in animated form with Creature Commandos hitting the streamer later this year.
Details on all five live-action DCU series announced so far can be seen below:
Peacemaker Season 2
John Cena will reprise his DCEU role as Peacemaker for a second season on Max which will shift its focus to the new DCU. After the team's defeated the Butterflies in Season 1, the next season is expected to bring a fresh mission for the team, while perhaps also developing Peacemaker's relationship with Emilia Harcourt.
Regarding the timeline of Peacemaker Season 2, the sophomore outing will take place in the new DCU after James Gunn's Superman. Interestingly, Gunn confirmed on Threads that Season 1 "isn't canon" to the new DCU, but "many strands remain consistent" with the previous DCEU timeline.
Peacemaker Season 2 will have all eight episodes written by James Gunn, although he will only direct select installments this time around, indicating other filmmakers will step in to helm the new chapters.
Waller
Viola Davis will reprise her role as ARGUS boss Amanda Waller in a solo series set in the DCU that will reunite her with select members of Team Peacemaker.
This comes after Peacemaker Season 1's shock ending saw Waller's daughter Leota Adebayo expose her work on Taskforce X to the world in an effort to clear the names of John Cena's Christopher Smith and the rest of the team.
Waller releasing after Peacemaker's next outing comes as a major change since it was originally billed as Season 1.5 to Cena's DC show but Gunn recently confirmed on Threads it will now "take place after" the upcoming Season 2.
Lanterns
Lanterns has been billed True Detective-esque series taking place primarily in Precint Earth as two Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, uncover a "terrifying mystery" that ties into the larger story of the DCU's Chapter 1.
Although Jordan and Stewart will lead the way, Gunn confirmed in his DCU slate announcement there will be other Lanterns appearing, perhaps including Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner after he debuts in 2025's Superman.
Booster Gold
Booster Gold will introduce time travel to the DCU with Michael Carter, "a loser from the future who uses basic future technology to come back to today and pretend to be a superhero."
The futuristic superhero will debut in what is expected to be a comedy series, and, at the time of the DCU slate announcement in January 2023, an actor was already in talks to play Booster Gold, who some think should be Chris Pratt.
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost has been called a "Game of Thrones-ish story" which will swap the citizens of Westeros for the Amazons of Themyscira. The live-action Max series is set to dive into the "political intrigue behind a society of all women."
The Wonder Woman spin-off will explore the origins of Themyscira, taking place years before the Justice League hero was born. This ought to lay the groundwork for a new iteration of Wonder Woman to come to the DCU, recasting Gal Gadot following the cancelation of her DCEU threequel.
The first Max series taking place in the DCU is Creature Commandos, which is set to start its seven-episode run in late 2024.
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