Newly appointed DC Chief James Gunn has revealed further insight into his and producer Peter Safran’s plans for the DCU, stating that not every character will be recast. The filmmaker took to Twitter to respond directly to rumors that he is planning on recasting every major DC character aside from those in The Suicide Squad, a DC outing that was helmed by Gunn himself in 2021. Check out what Gunn said below.
Since the news that Man of Steel star Henry Cavill will not return as Superman as expected, and that Wonder Woman 3 has been canceled, speculation has run rampant claiming that the DCU will undergo such a major overhaul that none of the already established versions of these characters will be asked back. Apart from those in The Suicide Squad. “I keep seeing posts with this untrue theory,” Gunn, who is active on social media and has replied directly to many of these rumors recently, says. “We're not recasting everyone except The Suicide Squad.”
Despite not recasting everyone, with Henry Cavill now out as the Man of Steel, and with James Gunn revealing that the Superman franchise will be rebooted with a younger actor, we can still expect to see some big changes to be made to the DCU. Which is arguably exactly what it needs. Even so, it sounds like Gunn and Safran will attempt to find a balance between recalibrating the franchise while maintaining certain, familiar elements. Something that will certainly be no easy task. And the question remains, who will survive, and what will be left of them?
A Certain Uproarious & Unkind Minority Will Not Affect Decision-Making at DC Studios
Since being appointed DC Studios co-chief, James Gunn has made several statements regarding his plans for the DCU. The filmmaker has been met with much criticism since revealing that the role of Superman will be recast, taking to social media to state that “a certain minority” will not affect how decisions are made.
“One of the things Peter & I were aware of when we took the job as heads of DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious & unkind, to say the least,” he said. “Our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story & best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts & integrity & always with the story in mind.”
While we expect more concrete news regarding how James Gunn and Peter Safran will redirect the DCU to emerge in the new year, there is still plenty for comic book movie fans to be excited about. Next year will see the release of four DC movies, with Shazam! sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods due for release on March 17, 2023. The long-gestating The Flash meanwhile will finally land in theaters on June 16, 2023, followed by Blue Beetle on August 18, 2023, and finally Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which is due to be released on December 25, 2023.