James Gunn's DCU is finally opening its doors to new genres in 2026. All three of the DCU's released projects so far - Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 - are from the mind of James Gunn himself, who is known for using the action comedy genre with a superhero spin. Granted, the big-screen blockbuster of the bunch may be less of an outright action comedy than its TV counterparts, but it still leans heavily into humor and light-heartedness.
As the DCU finally starts delivering projects that aren't written or directed by Gunn, starting this year with Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface, DC Studios will seemingly abandon the action-comedy genre for the rest of the year.
Gunn has been open about his drive for the DCU to vary in genres, from the beginning, telling CBS Mornings last year that there will be no "company style," simply as they "don't want people being bored" with repetitive projects:
"There's not a company style. It's not like every movie is gonna be like Superman. The artists and the directors and the writers that create each one will bring their own sense to it… We don't want people being bored."
Clayface's female lead, Naomi Ackie, recently spoke with Empire Magazine and described the movie's switch to a "genre-led influence" as "really smart of DC," as it can combine the comicbook and horror fanbases:
"I really love genre films, and I love acting in genre films. The fact that it’s the DC world with this indie influence and this genre-led influence feels like the world I belong to... So this mash-up [between] a horror film and a comic-book film is interesting. I think it’s really smart of DC, because it brings in horror lovers and comic-book lovers."
What Genre Is Every Upcoming DCU Movie & Show?
Supergirl - Space Adventure (Confirmed)
DC Studios' next blockbuster release is Supergirl on June 26, and its unsurprising genre has been announced as "space adventure" akin to Guardians of the Galaxy. Based on the trailers, Supergirl looks to have a rather traditional tone for the superhero genre, although seemingly with far less comedy than Superman.
Lanterns - Sci-Fi Crime Drama (Confirmed)
While Supergirl seems rather similar to Superman in tone, the next HBO venture, Lanterns, looks to be a complete 180-degree turn. The eight-episode show is a buddy cop story in the DC universe with something of a grounded crime drama feel, with the sci-finess of the Green Lantern Corps and alien threats thrown in.
Clayface - Body Horror (Confirmed)
Perhaps the first definitive example of the DCU's genre-shifting will arrive in theaters this October with Clayface. The shape-shifting Batman villain's origin story is firmly an R-rated body horror with dark tones and seemingly no superhero or comedy elements, proving the DCU's ability to cross genre lines.
Swamp Thing - Gothic Horror (Confirmed)
It's unclear whether Swamp Thing is still moving forward under Logan director James Mangold, as updates have been scarce in recent years, but he has officially called his take on the DCU monster a "simple, clean Gothic horror movie."
Booster Gold - Comedy (Confirmed)
As a superhero comedy series for HBO Max, Booster Gold will presumably have a similar style to the DCU's early projects, even if it isn't led by James Gunn himself. However, only time will tell if the tale of "imposter syndrome" in the DCU leans more family-friendly or strays into Peacemaker levels of adult.
Jimmy Olsen Show - Crime Mystery Comedy (Confirmed)
Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen is getting his own HBO Max show in a true-crime style, with him investigating DC villains, starting with Gorilla Grodd. Co-creator Dan Perrault confirmed that his untitled DCU project is a "crime mystery comedy," meaning that it will blend the Grodd investigation with a touch of Olsen's humor.
Paradise Lost - Political Fantasy Drama (Confirmed)
HBO Max's Wonder Woman prequel show Paradise Lost will officially lean into the political scheming and intrigue on the all-female land of Themyscira. Its usage of the political genre will be reminiscent of Game of Thrones, paired with all the mythological Greek gods one would expect from Wonder Woman's lore.
Man of Tomorrow - Sci-Fi Action-Adventure (Expected)
As Man of Tomorrow is James Gunn's kinda, sorta sequel to Superman, one would imagine that it will maintain the same PG-13 action-adventure style with some lightheartedness and comedy. However, due to the looming arrival of the superintelligent alien Brainiac, it ought to pull more from the sci-fi genre too.
Mister Miracle - Psychological Sci-Fi (Expected)
Just as Supergirl is adapting Tom King's Woman of Tomorrow comic storyline rather closely, Mister Miracle will be based on the DCU writer's run with the New God. As such, it ought to be an animated psychological sci-fi, opening up the DCU's New Gods lore through the lens of Scott Free's mental descent.
Brave and the Bold - Action-Adventure (Expected)
As Matt Reeves' The Batman saga already has the Dark Knight's detective side locked down, the DCU's Brave and the Bold seems likely to lean more into the action-adventure genre, paired with some father-son family drama between the next Bruce Wayne and his biological son/Robin, Damian Wayne.
Deathstroke & Bane - Action-Comedy (Expected)
DC Studios is developing a Deathstroke and Bane team-up movie from writer Matthew Orton, and recent reports claimed that Peacemaker and Superbad director Greg Mottola is the front-runner to helm. Due to the reported director choice, it's highly likely that this will be another adult action-comedy affair.
Blue Beetle - Sci-Fi Action-Adventure (Expected)
DC Studios is reportedly developing an animated sequel series to 2023's Blue Beetle flick, which starred Xolo Maridueña's Jaime Reyes. One can only presume that it will lean into the same sci-fi and action-adventure genres while continuing its coming-of-age and family dynamics that were so beloved.
Wonder Woman - Action Fantasy (Expected)
Fans currently know very little about the Wonder Woman reboot script in the works from Supergirl writer Ana Nogueira. It's easy to imagine it taking a similar tone to Supergirl while trading sci-fi for fantasy, perhaps set in modern-day to differentiate it from Gal Gadot's DCEU superheroine franchise.
