DC Studios Rejig Release Slate As James Gunn Gives Updates On Batman, Teen Titans, Clayface And More

Time flies when you're having fun — and when you're trying to build a cinematic universe, too. Somehow, it's already been two years since DC Studios head honchos James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed the roadmap for their newly christened DCU, announcing a wildly ambitious "Gods And Monsters" first phase comprising 10 projects. Now, as the first major movie from that slate, Gunn's own Superman, gets ready to take flight this July, Gunn and Safran have taken some time to give fans an update on their ever-evolving future plans — including Batman: The Brave And The Bold, a proposed live-action Teen Titans movie, Clayface, and much more besides.

At a gathering of the press last Friday, Gunn and Safran held court to talk films and TV shows that are in production, that need more time, and that are in the early stages of development. On the in production front, as of right now both Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 are knees deep in post-production, leaving Craig Gillespie's Milly Alcock led Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow and the Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre starring HBO series Lanterns as the only projects with cameras currently rolling. The former is halfway through shooting ahead of its planned 26 June, 2026 release, while Chandler and Pierre have finished trying on rings for the latter in order to make an early 2026 drop for the True Detective style twist on the Green Lantern Corps viable.

Outside of those four locked-or-loading movies and films, the only other DCU titles that have a firmly set release date at this moment in time are James Watkins and Mike Flanagan's Clayface, which is still circling an 11 September, 2026 theatrical launch; Matt Reeves' increasingly long-gestating Elseworlds (aka standalone) joint The Batman II, which is now aiming for 1 October, 2027; and animated Robins' origin movie Dynamic Duo, slated for 30 June, 2028. During Gunn and Safran's meeting with journalists, Gunn described Clayface as a "body-horror" intended to appeal to genre enthusiasts just as much as dyed-in-the-wool DC fans, and confirmed that Alan Tudyk will not be reprising his Creature Commandos role as the malleable miscreant in live-action, because Clayface isn't Tudyk's primary DCU part (that would be Dr. Phosphorous). As for The Batman Part II and Dynamic Duos, Gunn merely reiterated that Reeves is making good progress with his as-yet-incomplete R-Battz screenplay, while Safran talked up how DC Studios' first major animated movie will make "a perfect on-ramp" for families getting into DC.

Talking of Batman though, if you were hoping to see Andy Muschietti's The Brave And The Bold — or a second season of The Penguin — anytime soon, then temper expectations accordingly. Gunn has said that he's working closely with the currently unknown writer of the Grant Morrison inspired Wayne family Bats film, but only said of Muschietti's involvement that The Flash filmmaker will be "first to see the script" when there is one. (And no, Robert Pattinson won't be TBATB's Caped Crusader.) The Penguin Season 2 on the other hand is scarcely a pipe dream, with Safran talking about the "moving parts" involved in such a production and 2025 SAG Awards winner Colin Farrell having very publicly declared his uneasiness about the idea of donning all those prosthetics for a follow-up.

Elsewhere, Gunn and Safran gave updates on the status of several 'Gods And Monsters' projects that we haven't heard much about since their announcement. Game Of Thrones angled Wonder Woman spin-off series Paradise Lost, set on the lasso-wielding hero's home island of Themyscira, remains in early development. As does Booster Gold, a comedy show centred around the titular supe, a fame-hungry showboater who wouldn't be entirely out of place in The Boys. James Mangold horror joint Swamp Thing, Amanda Waller spin-off series Waller, and, perhaps most significantly, Superman-steeped superhero team-up movie The Authority are all now firmly on the backburner, with the latter in particular proving a tough nut for Gunn and Safran to crack due to its ambitious story and the logistical headaches of trying to fit other projects around it.

And finally, finally, DC Studios' helmsmen swept through — and largely cleared up — a bunch of DCU rumours. To be direct, a potential Luca Guadagnino Sgt. Rock movie is a thing, but Daniel Craig won't be in it; a live-action Teen Titans movie was unintentionally confirmed by Safran, with Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow's Ana Nogueira on board as writer; and Moon Knight's Matthew Orton — who we now know is unlikely to have a Moon Knight Season 2 coming anytime soon — is working on a Deathstroke/Bane featuring script, though Gunn refused to outright call it a Deathstroke/Bane movie.

And so, as Gunn and Safran commit themselves to making seven DCU projects a year — two live-action films and one animated movie, as well as two live-action and two animated series — and build out their new cinematic universe, one question remains: Where is this all heading? Well, according to Gunn, who's clearly learned a thing or two from his years working within the MCU, a six-year plan is in place to drive the DC Universe's overall story towards an Avengers-level event movie. What that will look like, only time will tell. But for now at least, with Superman right around the corner, things are really starting to Look Up for DC on the big — and small — screen. Excelsior! Wait, wrong universe...