Last week, We Got This Covered reported that we’d heard Warner Bros. was planning to effectively reboot the DC Extended Universe. The original continuity will stand in the likes of the Wonder Woman and Aquaman franchises, but new projects – like The Batman and Supergirl – will take place in a fresh timeline that won’t connect with the old movies at all.
At the time, we believed this meant WB was attempting to sweep the past of the DCEU under the rug. However, our source now tells us that the studio is turning to a certain filmmaker who also works with Marvel to rebuild their fractured franchise.
WGTC has heard that James Gunn has been appointed to get the DCEU back in shape. From what we understand, the diector is set to be involved in several upcoming projects as a producer, with his role as overseer of the cinematic universe also meaning he’ll be involved in some capacity in almost all films moving forward, even if he’s not explicitly credited.
To clarify, the plans to continue with two separate DC universes is still a go, so Matt Reeves’ The Batman remains set to reboot the Dark Knight mythos on the big screen. Our source tells us that there’s the idea to potentially merge the two timelines together eventually, but there are no immediate plans for that.
Obviously, this is pretty interesting to hear, as Gunn was once said to be doing much the same for Marvel, shaping the cosmic side of the MCU in Phase Four. However, after he was temporarily fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for a year, he hopped ship over to DC to make The Suicide Squad. It sounds like, following GotG Vol. 3, he may split his time between producing for Marvel and doing the same for the Distinguished Competition.
It’s also worth noting that The Suicide Squad originally looked to be a total reboot, with Idris Elba replacing Will Smith as Deadshot, but it’s since become clear that Gunn will honor the 2016 film and bring back most of the old cast – with Elba now playing a different character. Maybe the sequel, due for release on August 6th 2021, will give us our first taste of Gunn’s vision for the DC universe? Time will tell, but for now, you can certainly color us intrigued.
