Co-CEO of DC Studios, Peter Safran, has revealed that he and fellow CEO James Gunn will strive to make the DCU as accessible as possible, with the shared universe allowing for newcomers and limiting the need to binge-watch everything before seeing the latest movie of TV show. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Safran declared their hopes to “minimize” confusion felt by audiences in order to “maximize” entertainment and enjoyment.
“The good news is, if you've seen nothing that we've done before, you can watch Superman Legacy, you can watch Creature Commandos, you can watch Peacemaker season two, and you can watch Blue Beetle. All of that. We are trying to minimize audience confusion and maximize their enjoyment.”
This approach to the DCU is certainly a refreshing one, with one of the major criticisms now leveled at the MCU being that you need to watch several movies and shows to best understand the latest installment. However, this is sure to be no easy task, particularly with the first DCU outing, Superman: Legacy, now set to introduce several other major characters with the likes of Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, and the Green Lantern Guy Gardner set to be played by Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and Nathan Fillion respectively.
The DCU Will Begin in 2025 With Superman: Legacy
While the likes of the upcoming DC outing Blue Beetle has been confirmed as being part of the new and (hopefully) improved DCU, the rebooted franchise will kick off proper with Superman: Legacy in 2025. "Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” the official synopsis reads. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned."
Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn will both write and helm Superman: Legacy, which recently found its leads in Pearl and The Politician star David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
“It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them. People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman,” Gunn said previously of rebooting Superman for the DCU, adding that it’s crucial he does something different with the comic book icon. “How can I make it different from the Superman movies that have been made so far, but also have it respect all the Superman movies that have been made so far? So it just took me some time to try to figure it out,” Gunn explained.
The Superman reboot will be the beginning of the new DCU, with projects such as Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a Swamp Thing reboot, and a Wonder Woman prequel series titled Paradise Lost to follow as part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
Superman: Legacy is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025.