The history of DC on film has been a weird one. Since the release of Superman: The Movie back in 1978, Warner Bros. spent 30 years only being interested in developing movies based on Superman and Batman, with the rare exception of Swamp Thing or Constantine. Starting with Man of Steel, they attempted to launch a shared cinematic universe titled the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU for short. Over the span of 10 years, they released films centered around Wonder Woman, The Flash, Shazam, Aquaman, the Suicide Squad, and more. Over this period, they also had many movies based on popular characters, like Zatanna, The New Gods, and Green Lantern, that were canceled by DC or never materialized. They even scrapped a completed Batgirl movie.
Yet the DCEU lacked the interconnected nature of the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe, and after a series of box office disappointments, Warner Bros. decided to start over. In October 2022, they brought on The Suicide Squad director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran to run the newly reformatted DC Studios that would launch a new franchise known as the DC Universe (DCU). In January 2023, Gunn announced the plans for five films as well as five television series.
Since then, he has announced more films, and details have been given about separate movies set outside his planned cinematic universe (which will be known as the Elseworlds movies). Here is every DC movie currently in development at Warner Bros., both part of the DCU and in the Elseworlds brand.
Superman
Superman (2025)
Written and directed by James Gunn, Superman is the first movie in Warner Bros.’ rebooted DC Universe to center around the titular comic book hero. It introduces a new version of the Man of Steel after Henry Cavill’s departure from the role, honoring the character’s roots as “the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way.”
- Release Date
- July 11, 2025
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
The kick-off to the DCU will be Superman, previously titled Superman: Legacy. Written and directed by James Gunn, the film will focus on a young Superman as he goes on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human family in Smallville, Kansas. David Corenswet has been cast as Superman with Rachael Brosnan, who is set to play Lois Lane. Nicolas Hoult, who screen-tested for the role of Superman, will play Lex Luthor.
The film is not an origin story and setting itself from other Superman films by featuring many other DC heroes in supporting roles like Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), and Guy Gardner’s version of Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion). The movie is currently filming and is set for release on July 11, 2025.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is also being set up with 2025’s Superman, with Mily Alcock (House of the Dragon) cast as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl in that movie before leading her own spin-off film. While Superman is drawing inspiration from comics like All-Star Superman but won’t be a direct adaptation, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow does appear to be an adaptation of the 2022 miniseries of the same name from writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely. Those comics saw Supergirl in a galactic True Grit type story where a young alien girl asks Supergirl to help her hunt down the man who killed her father.
The movie has gained a lot of momentum with Alcock’s casting, and reportedly, director Craig Gillespie, best known for 2018’s I, Tonya and 2021’s Cruella, has signed on to direct. Ana Nogueira, who was previously working on a Supergirl movie for the original DCEU featuring Sasha Calle from The Flash, is penning the screenplay. The movie is set for release on June 26, 2026.
The Authority
The Authority will be set up in Superman with the introduction of Angela Spica / The Engineer, played by María Gabriela de Faría. The Authority was a superhero team created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch that focused on a superhero team who took matters into their own hands and used excessive violence to stop global crime, even attempting to take control of the planet to secure the safety of everyone in it.
The Authority is a team of anti-heroes that is very different from the Justice League, which has left many fans curious as to why they are getting their own film so early on in this franchise formation. No additional cast has been announced, and no director is set.
The Brave and the Bold
The DC Universe would not be complete without a Batman movie, and while Robert Pattinson is playing the Caped Crusader in his own separate section of films, the DCU will have its own Batman film. Titled The Brave and the Bold, the movie will feature Batman and Robin, but this Robin won’t be the traditional Dick Grayson most fans are expecting. Instead, it will be Damian Wayne, the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul.
The film will reportedly be heavily inspired by Grant Morrison’s run in the comics that went from 2006 to 2013. The film will also introduce the Bat Family, so fans can expect to see Dick Grayson’s Nightwing and maybe Barbara Gordon’s Batgirl. After showcasing some impressive Batman action in The Flash, director Andy Muschietti will direct the film.
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing was one of the few DC characters to get a live-action film during the 1980s, so it’s appropriate that the character is now part of the DCU’s plans. Described as a gothic horror movie, the film will tell the origins of Swamp Thing and is heavily rumored to be inspired by Alan Moore’s groundbreaking The Saga of Swamp Thing comics from 1984 through 1985.
James Mangold (Logan) is set to direct Swamp Thing and is currently developing it alongside his planned Star Wars film that will explore the origins of the First Jedi, but it is unclear which movie will be made first.
Teen Titans
Teen Titans is the first movie that will be part of the DCU that was not part of James Gunn’s official January 2022 announcement. Teen Titans have been a popular brand for DC, particularly following the introduction of the New Teen Titans in 1980, with the popular animated series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! making the characters household names to many generations.
Currently, not much is known about the film other than Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow screenwriter Ana Nogueira, who is working on the script. With Damian Wayne’s Robin being introduced in Brave and the Bold, it is heavily rumored he will appear as the default Robin on the team, while fans have theorized this is where Xolo Maridueña’s Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle will return.
Joker: Folie à Deux
Joker: Folie a Deux
- Release Date
- October 4, 2024
- Studio
- BRON Studios, Bron Creative, DC Entertainment
While there are no DCU films set for release in 2024, making the release of Superman in 2025 a big deal, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any movies based on DC Comics characters being released in theaters. In fact, they have a wild card, the Joker, more specifically, Joker: Folie à Deux. This is a sequel to the surprise $1 billion grossing 2019 film Joker, which also won star Joaquin Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor.
While originally intended to be a one-off film, the movie is now getting a sequel whose big hook is featuring Lady Gaga as a new version of Harley Quinn. The movie is also set to be a musical, and like how the 2019 film was heavily inspired by Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Joker: Folie à Deux looks to be drawing inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s One from the Heart. Like its predecessor, Joker: Folie à Deux is not connected to any other DC Universe except for the previous movie and is set for release on October 4, 2024, almost five years from the date when Joker opened.
The Batman – Part II
The Batman Part II
- Studio
- DC Films and Warner Bros.
- Release Date
- October 3, 2025
- Franchise
- DC
Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are returning to Gotham City with The Batman – Part II. These films will not be connected to James Gunn’s DCU and will instead be a stand-alone franchise, even getting its own Max spin-off series, The Penguin, set for release before The Batman – Part II. Little is known about the movie, and it was originally intended for release in October 2025 but has since been delayed to October 2, 2026, which means it is being released four years after the previous film, The Batman.
Metal Men has been a property that DC and Warner Bros. have been trying to develop long before even the DCEU was an idea. Originally announced in 2012 by director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black), the movie was going to be a live-action film set in the DCEU, but it never materialized. In December 2021, it was then reported the movie was going to be developed as an animated movie for Warner Bros. Animation. The movie had secured Disney legends John Musker and Ron Clements, who crafted some of the most iconic animated films, such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Moana, to direct. DreamWorks Animation producer Bonnie Arnold was producing the film with Celeste Ballard (Do Revenge) co-writing the script alongside Musker and Clements.
While no word has been made on it yet, James Gunn has not officially announced the cancelation of the project and has said that Elseworlds projects are still on the table, so Metal Men could be conceived as an Elseworlds film or an animated movie set within his shared universe as he looks to feature more connectivity between animated and live-action stories. Metal Men might be the family friendly franchise that DC needs.
Constantine 2
There are two trends that are lighting up the box office: legacy sequels and Keanu Reeves movies. Thus, it makes sense that Warner Bros. would want to cash in with Constantine 2. Constantine was a loose adaptation of the Hellblazer comics that Warner Bros. released in 2005, just months before Batman Begins would kick off a new streak of DC film adaptations. The DCEU was originally planning a new separate Constantine movie, but in September 2022, it announced that it would move forward with Constantine 2 instead. A month later, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be running DC Films, making many fans believe that Constantine 2 would be canceled.
Yet that doesn’t seem to be the case. Shortly before the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves confirmed he spoke with James Gunn and that the film would still be made as an Elseworlds title. The film was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but it has now reportedly been developed once more.
Ta-Nehisi Coates Superman
In Febraury 2021, as the DCEU was in a state of flux following the COVID-19 pandemic, Warner Bros. announced they were developing a new Superman movie from producer J.J. Abrams and written by award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates. The movie would focus on a Black Superman, but following the announcement of James Gunn’s Superman movie being a top priority for Warner Bros. and the centerpiece of launching the DCU, many suspected Ta-Nehisi Coates Superman would be one of many canceled DC films.
As recently as January 2024, James Gunn revealed that the movie is still in development, and, like Constantine 2, The Batman – Part II, and Joker: Folie à Deux, it would be an Elseworlds film not connected to the DCU continuity.
