As Gunn and Peter Safran take over DCU with TV, film, and animation, DC Studios will replace the DC Films division. The two CEOs assumed their positions on November 1, and there have been numerous reports about what they are doing with the DCU. Even though Gunn and Safran have only been in charge of DC Studios for a short while, their promotion has already garnered media attention.
Henry Cavill is no longer Superman after just making a comeback in Black Adam, Wonder Woman 3 is no longer in the works, and it appears that the DC Extended Universe, now known simply as the DC Universe, is about to undergo a significant makeover. It calls for fresh castings, fresh characters, and fresh narratives that will certainly leave the common universe we’ve seen so far in the dust. However, just because James Gunn and Peter Safran are occupied with revamping the DC Universe (DCU), it doesn’t mean they aren’t considering other possibilities.
James Gunn confirms Elseworlds movies in development
Since taking over as one of the directors of DC Studios, James Gunn has been extremely active on Twitter, updating followers with the news. He answered a fan query about Elseworlds projects. Needless to say, Gunn didn’t hold back when he said, “That is actively happening.” He didn’t have anything else to say about these projects, so one can only hope that the news will be out in public sooner rather than later. Checkout the tweet below:
That is actively happening.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 20, 2022
What exactly is an Elseworlds project?
For those who are unfamiliar, Elseworlds was a DC Comics publishing label that specialized in tales set beyond the standard comic continuity. Over the years, that company has brought to life numerous legendary comic book stories, including DC’s Kingdom Come, Gotham By Gaslight, and many others. A significant prelude to Crisis on Infinite Earths, Elseworlds was also the name of the three-part Arrowverse crossover that occurred in 2018. However, in the later years, Elseworlds was eventually replaced by the DC Black Label imprint launched in 2018.
While this may appear to be an exciting concept, keep in mind that the DC film slate is already packed with projects set in various continuity. For example, The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves, and all of its associated media exist outside of the DC Universe. The same applies to director Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker and its upcoming sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, which is in its own timeline.
It’s always exciting to see shared universes come together. But there’s something special about standalone efforts. Surely, James Gunn and Peter Safran have some exciting Elseworlds projects in the works at DC that fans will not want to miss.