There is still every chance that James Gunn and Peter Safran will have an uphill struggle when they finally kick off their new DCU in 2025, especially when box office projections for the “first confirmed DCU character” Blue Beetle are predicting one of the lowest DC movie openings ever. However, in contrast, since Gunn and Safran’s plans were announced, sales of many DC comics have doubled or even tripled.
According to Chief Creative Officer and President of DC Comics, Jim Lee, told The Hollywood Reporter at SDCC that the arrival of new plans for the DCU has massively renewed interest in the comics, and went on to elaborate on what it means to be working with people who know their comic books. He said:
“It’s amazing to have partners in Peter and James, particularly James. He was a comics fan growing up and knows our mythology inside out. And having that kind of ally in the live-action space allows us to really leverage what he is doing and allow us to market and sell comic books to new readers. These are people who are interested in his movies, his TV shows, and if they want to take a deep dive into these characters, he directs them to the comic books.”
Of course there is still the matter of this year’s Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom to deal with before Gunn and Safran really get to flex their superhero muscles with Superman: Legacy, and the many DC heroes the movie seems to be bringing with it. If the rest of 2023’s releases are anything to go by, then the return of the man of steel is likely to be the first real chance for the DC franchise to make its mark in Hollywood again.
Can DC Studios Put Past Disappointment Behind Them?
The birth of DC Studios seems to be the spark for the on screen franchise to break away from the Snyderverse and the disjointed mess that followed its relative collapse. In the last year, the franchise has seen more and more disappointing returns on their biggest, and most expensive, blockbusters, and even hugely positive reviews for The Flash hasn’t been able to instigate anything like the attention it should have.
Soon all eyes will be turning to the new slate of movies that, as well as Superman: Legacy, will include new interpretations of Swamp Thing, Wonder Woman, Creature Commandos and Booster Gold among others. In the last couple of days, SDCC brought the announcement that new animated movies based on Watchmen and Crisis on Infinite Earths are heading into development. All of this should be something for DC fans to get excited about, and will all sit alongside the ongoing The Batman universe, which will be continuing on under the guidance of Matt Reeves on both the big and small screen.
All in all, after 2023 is over, the work to rebuild the DC franchise into something that can rival the biggest movies will get underway, although whether the current strikes have an impact on the arrival times of the new projects is yet to be seen. Currently, Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy are expected to arrive in 2024 and 2025 respectively.