James Gunn Reveals His Favorite Upcoming DCU Project Hasn’t Even Been Announced Yet

James Gunn teased that his favorite DCU project so far has not even been announced yet. The fan-favorite filmmaker (known for his work on projects like the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy at Marvel Studios and DC's The Suicide Squad) is about to debut his new vision for the DC brand on the big and small screen in the upcoming David Corenswet-led Superman film. Superman kicks off a slate of projects that includes the likes of Peacemaker, Supergirl, and Lanterns, all set for release sometime in the next year. However, beyond that remains a massive question for Gunn's new superhero venture. 

In a new interview, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn hinted that several unannounced projects are in the works within the DCU, one of which he described as his "favorite thing." These new secret titles seem to be in addition to the already revealed list of titles from January 2023, including the Authority movie, James Mangold's Swamp Thing, and the Viola Davis-led Waller series. 

Gunn disclosed the new information in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, where he was asked about any new DCU projects fans have not heard about yet. He told the outlet, "There's another TV show that's my favorite thing in all of this," adding that it should get made "soon:"

"Then there's another TV show that's my favorite thing in all of this, that is hopefully getting made soon. It's just my favorite thing. 

He continued, saying there are several other projects on the table at the moment, including a movie, the next title he is writing, and Mike Flanagan's Clayface movie:

"And then there's the movie...Oh s---! I don't know what I'm allowed to say or not say, but there's a couple of other movies that are being written, one of which is in pretty good shape, another which is kind of closer to the start, but we feel positive about. And then there's a thing I'm writing, which I think it's okay.... So what will be the next thing after 'Clayface' is not 100 percent certain, but it's pretty certain."

When prodded on whether any of these unannounced projects were related to anything that the Blue Brand had already detailed, Gunn responded that it is "mostly stuff people don't know about," including one particular project that he has had in mind "from the very beginning" that he has kept secret because "it was too easy to rip off by another company:"

"My favorite thing has not been announced at all. One of the scripts people kind of know about. My script people don't know about. The other script people don't know about. So it's mostly stuff people don't know about.... A couple of those things [announced in January 2023] are in pretty good shape in terms of coming up, but there was one thing that I knew about from the very beginning, that when I pitched to David Zaslav what the DCU would be, I pitched to him, but we did not announce in that first meeting because I felt like it was too easy to rip off by another company. And so that's one of the main things."

After James Gunn's Superman, which will jump-start the DCU on Friday, July 11, the franchise's future remains relatively unclear. Fans know they will get John Cena's Peacemaker Season 2 in August, the Milly Alcock-led Supergirl movie in June 2026, Clayface in September 2026, and then HBO's Lanterns series sometime next year as well. Beyond that, though, it is mostly a mystery.

What Could James Gunn's Secret Favorite DC Project Be?

There is plenty to speculate on with these quotes from James Gunn. What is this special new project Gunn is writing himself? What could possibly be this movie he has had in mind since his initial DC pitch? Those are all great questions. However, most interestingly is what this "favorite" project could possibly be. 

It is worth noting that this particular title happens to be a new TV show from the DCU, rather than an unannounced movie. When bringing up the "favorite" project, he mentioned "another TV show," meaning that, yes, this will be something coming to the small screen rather than cinemas around the world. 

There is one clear direction Gunn could go with this new show that would make total sense. This is pure speculation at this point, but what if the DC Studios co-CEO is teasing a potential Terrifics TV show? 

The Terrifics are a DC Comics superhero team set up by Mister Terrific in the comics, consisting of characters like Metamorpho, Plastic Man, and Phantom Girl. With Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific (who will debut in Superman) already confirmed to be a part of the franchise going forward, this could be where everything is leading. 

There would be no better way than continuing the Justice Gang story set up in Superman, with Mister Terrific, Guy Gardner, and Hawkgirl, than bringing them all back to form the Terrifics and serve as something of a Justice League appetizer, before DC Comics actual headlining team make their debut somewhere down the line (perhaps in one of these unannounced movies Gunn was teasing).

Although Given Gunn's proclivity for exploring the lesser-known characters of these iconic comic book worlds, this new TV show could just as well be about Bat-Mite or some other niche hero from deep in DC Comics lore.