James Gunn’s Future Plans For The DC Extended Universe

Over the past decade we have seen the popularity and interest of superhero and comic book films peak, with movies such as Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: End Game (2019) becoming massive cultural events. Films like such proved the power of creating extended and intertwined universes for superhero franchises can be a powerful tool to create larger than life stories, as well as a huge sign of potential success in the box office. Marvel seemed to have initially found the formula for this perfectly, creating riveting storytelling through their series of films focusing on independent intellectual properties. These stories would all eventually culminate in a variety of ways through different feature films and cinematic series that would work as the ultimate crossovers, while also successfully wrapping up storylines, character arcs, and building future plans.

During the past decade however, DC tried to do a similar concept, planning to create stories, films and intellectual properties that would all be a part of a greater universe, combining different storylines from different films and making them connected somehow. This proved to have a variety of results, while the box office saw moderate success, behind the scenes there seemed to have been no direction, that is until recently of course. James Gunn, the director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, essentially seems to have jumped ship, and promises to bring some much needed change and freshness to the DC Extended Universe, by implementing a 10-year plan. With the release of Superman (2025) marking the start of what we can call the James Gunn Era, I want to touch on what this exactly means for DC as well as some of James Gunn’s future plans he has.

Superman

The recent release of Superman (2025) marks a new beginning for the DC Extended Universe as Gunn heavily pushed that this project would be one that launched the start of something great. Superman has already proven to be a large box office success, smashing through sales all throughout July and bringing in numbers that DC has not experienced in a while. It also has received critical acclaim with many fans, both hardcore and casual sharing their love for film. You can read our review of the film here. With that being said it is no secret that Superman (2025) has proven to be an excellent first step for DC, setting up a path of success for themselves going forward.

Prior to Superman (2025), the character of superman was portrayed by Henry Cavill, through the 2013 film Man of Steel. While Man of Steel (2013) saw its success in its own right, it goes without saying that this year’s portrayal of the character surpassed the success of Man of Steel (2013). This is due to many factors, one popular one that has recently made its rounds online has been the choice of the lead actor. David Corenswet’s portrayal of the beloved super hero brings a refreshing and younger look, showing a side that is more appreciated as an origin story. We get to appreciate a lot of his early conflicts and situations he finds himself in more, as his actor’s clean shaven, young and fresh looks gives us a picture of a man who is starting to take his first steps. This was completely James Gunn’s intention.

Superman (2025) also introduced some new characters that will most definitely become key players going forward such as Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific, all who play a big role in the film and will definitely be seen again in the future. They were also introduced in a natural and compelling way, that makes them an important part in the film, without feeling gimmicky and shoe horned in. That was a prior issue of the DCEU. The universe felt rushed, incomplete and dissatisfying. We got a lot of characters thrown into the mix of storylines before we truly got to learn about them, or build a connection with them. This new Universe seems to have fixed that issue, making us fall in love with the new set of characters that were brought in, with every single one having their own charm and personality type.

This film also is set in a way that’s easy to consume. There is not a lot of heavy background that is explained. As a casual viewer of the franchise I was very grateful for this. It was nice to see a superhero movie where everything was explained to me in a way that was not overwhelming, but also gave me enough key points to understand the importance of what I was about to view.

Is All Forgotten?

Superman may have successfully set up the new extended universe for DC, and has served as an introduction to a bright shiny future, but it is important to note that this does not necessarily mean that everything we have seen up to this point is a thing of the past.

When James Gunn hopped on the team back in 2022, he made it very clear he was going to bring change to the DC Extended Universe, this included a full reset. The only problem with that however is that there were already a decent amount of films and projects rounding out production and set to release within the next set of years. This included projects such as Blue Beetle (2023), Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (2024), The Flash (2023) as well as the Peacemaker series in 2022. Many people felt that this meant that all of these projects would essentially lead up to nothing. With a potential universe reset on the horizon, none of these stories would end up going anywhere. Thankfully however Gunn has made it a point to note that many of these characters, actors, and storylines will not completely be left behind. Characters such as The Blue Beetle and Peacemaker are looking to be a part of the new universe, with John Cena’s Peacemaker even making a small cameo in the Superman film.

Superman also was not Gunn’s first DC project, with that distinction going to The Suicide Squad (2021) which many consider to be a soft launch of the brand new universe. The Suicide Squad (2021) definitely set up a good precedent of what to expect in this new universe, serving a completely different aesthetic, writing style and storyline from its 2016 counterpart.

Upcoming Projects

With all of that being said, it is important to look at the future of the DC Extended Universe, and what we can expect to see. First we can start with the major one coming up which was set up at the end of Superman (2025). I am of course talking about the Supergirl (2026) film. Gunn has promised us a very different take on the Supergirl character, making her someone who is going to be portrayed as a more formidable force. The casting choice for Supergirl was revealed in 2024, with House of Dragon’s Milly Alcock taking up the role. This film is set to release on June 26th, 2026.

Another big project just around the corner is Peacemaker Season 2, which is looking to continue the story of the Peacemaker character played by John Cena. This series is set to release on August 21, 2025.

The Batman universe is getting some love as well, following the success of The Batman (2022). A part 2 has currently gone under development, with Robert Pattinson reprising his role as the Dark Knight. While there has not been much confirmation on what the story exactly will be, it is known that it will be following the events of The Penguin (2024) series. It is set to release on October 1, 2027.

Speaking of the Batman universe, another wildcard project currently under development is Clayface (2026), an upcoming project based on one of Batman’s lesser known villains. While Clayface is a beloved Batman villain within comic book fans, he has never made an appearance in a film, that is until now. Not only that, he is now getting his very own film. James Gunn’s past ability to create compelling and successful stories of more obscure and deep cut comic book characters is already starting to be translated with this choice. The film is set to hit theatres on September 11, 2026.

Some other projects that we have not much information on yet, include The Authority, Batman: The Brave and The Bold, Swamp Thing and Teen Titans, with many of these projects starting productions soon.

Final Thoughts

Regardless it is safe to say that the DC Extended Universe is currently in a renaissance of some sorts, with the universe finally taking shape and seeing critical as well as box office success already in its early inception. With James Gunn taking a more hands on approach with the writing, directing, and producing of these films, he is hoping to bring what he sees as some much needed change. If his past success with Marvel has proven anything, it is that we are definitely in for a treat.

The future plans James Gunn has for the DC Extended Universe are many that carry some exciting projects, new characters, and story developments that are looking to leave both hardcore fans and casual viewers roped in. If the success and story of Superman (2025) is anything to go by, then we can truly expect some amazing things to come out of this new era, and I personally cannot wait to see what will be coming of all of this.