Back in January, Warner Bros. Discovery announced its new DC Studios slate that would kick off with the animated “Creature Commandos” series and truly begin with James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” live-action film.
Yet there has also been confusion. It seemed that rather than making a clean break and ignoring everything that came before – including this year’s four DC films – DC Studios chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran are set to bring back some talent in the same roles.
This has led to mixed messaging about what is and isn’t ‘canon’ in this universe. Is it like Judi Dench in the Bond franchise where her ‘M’ character in the Daniel Craig films is entirely different from her ‘M’ of the Pierce Brosnan ones? Or is it more a multiverse-style situation ala J.K. Simmons’ J. Jonah Jameson appearance in the “Spider-Man” movies?
There’s also been confusion about who exactly is coming back, not helped by online speculation. Well, Gunn himself has now taken to Threads to clear up that confusion:
“Nothing is canon until Creature Commandos next year – a sort of aperitif to the DCU – & then a deeper dive into the universe with Superman: Legacy after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think its okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet.
And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from the dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until CC and Legacy.”
He also confirmed only three actors are locked to retain their roles – Xolo Mariduena as Blue Beetle, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and John Cena as Peacemaker.
At last report, “Superman: Legacy” is set to film early next year, assuming the actor’s strike is resolved by that point (likely), ahead of a mid-2025 premiere.
