A fresh new slate of movies and television series featuring characters from the DC Universe (DCU) are set to hit screens in 2025, reported The Hollywood Reporter this week.
Following the merger, Warner Bros. Discovery Inc appointed James Gunn and Peter Safran to run DC Studios who have been working to revamp the DCU, which will combine the film and television properties including live-action, animation and gaming, as well as launch a new brand, DC Elseworlds.
The films and series now being launched under DCU will be the new Superman sequel as well as a separate rendition of the Batman. However, a sequel to The Batman (2022) will be launched under DC Elseworlds.
The following are titles and productions planned under the revamped DCU:
‘Superman: Legacy’: Studio head Gunn is writing and may direct this sequel.
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted co-head Safran as saying.
Actor Henry Cavill is not slated to reprise his role, instead a new actor will be announced. A release date of July 11, 2025 has been set.
Paradise Lost: Slated to be introduced as an HBO Max series, the production will be a ‘Game of Thrones’-style drama set on the all-female island that is Wonder Woman’s birthplace, Themyscira, filled with political intrigue and scheming between power players. It takes place before the events of the Wonder Woman films.
‘The Brave and the Bold’: This movie will focus on a story between Batman and a son he never knew existed – a murderous teen, raised by assassins. It will also feature Damian Wayne as Robin and will take inspiration from the now-classic ‘Batman’ run written by Grant Morrison. No date for its release has been announced yet.
‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’: Taking its cues from the recent Tom King-written miniseries, this movie promises a different take. The movie will feature Supergirl, raised on a rock, a chip off of Krypton, who watched everyone around her die and be killed in terrible ways for the first 14 years of her life and then come to Earth.
The studio heads are also simultaneously developing the newly-branded DC Elseworlds category which will comprise of any DC film or television series that is set outside of the main DC Universe, reported Variety this week.
The biggest banner film to be debut under this new category is the sequel to Batman as well as a fresh new film featuring the Joker.
The following are titles under the DC Elseworlds banner:
‘The Batman Part II’: Actor Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as the Dark Knight in the crime saga, set to be directed by Matt Reeves. The movie will be released October 3, 2025. ‘The Batman’ earned much critical acclaim and grossed $770 million at the worldwide box office last year. The film is now streaming on HBO Max.
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Reeves is also set to shoot a spinoff series centered on Colin Farrell’s Penguin character.
‘Joker: Folie à Deux’: Todd Philips’ highly-anticipated film will feature Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker along with Lady Gaga. The film is set to release October 4, 2024.
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A separate Superman movie, ‘The Black Superman Project’, produced by J.J. Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates is also in the works.