We’ve got three more films left before the lackluster continuity of the DC Extended Universe receives a much-needed cleansing in the form of James Gunn‘s reboot. Indeed, once The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom finish up their runs, greener pastures are surely on the horizon for fans of DC comics and superhero movies alike.
Of course, with Gunn at the helm, it’s safe to expect a hearty dose of the filmmaker’s distinct stylings for better or worse (and given that his filmography consists of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, The Suicide Squad, and episodic spin-off Peacemaker, we’re going to say it’s for the better), so audiences should expect the Gunnverse to be exactly that.
A staple of Gunn’s process includes hiring actors that he already has a rapport with, so any familiar face from his previous films is, in the filmmaker’s eyes, likely prime real estate for filling the shoes of the many characters we’ll be seeing in the DCU.
One such member of Gunn’s personal Avengers team, Nathan Fillion, seemed all too happy to remind everyone of that particular Gunn tendency, but remained coy on whether he’s been drawn into the DCU plans yet in a recent interview with ComicBook.
“James tends to put old actors he’s worked with before in his new movies, and that’s something I fully support. I would never say no to James Gunn. I can say that.”
Putting aside how much of a cop-out answer “I would never say no to James Gunn” is, we’ve already gotten a taste of how Fillion would fit in a Gunn-brushed DC Universe, having played an admittedly small role in The Suicide Squad, which Gunn masterminded for the DC Extended Universe. The actor portrayed The Detachable Kid; a member of the red herring Suicide Squad team that got wiped out mere minutes into the movie, a role that Fillion would go on to name as some of the most fun he’s ever had on a film set.
Either way, Fillion’s eventual casting in the DCU seems as inevitable as George Lucas changing something again. Whether or not he’ll fulfill those fan-cast dreams as the Green Lantern or Booster Gold, however, is another, much murkier question.
Gunn’s DC Universe will kick off with Creature Commandos, a limited animated series due on HBO Max sometime in 2024.
