James Gunn Reveals DC Chapter 1 Roadmap, Including ‘Batman: The Brave and The Bold’ and 4 New HBO Max Shows

It’s the day DC fans have all been waiting for – new studio boss James Gunn has finally given insight into his eight-to-10-year plan for the future of the DC Universe, which includes four new series.

Along with co-CEO Peter Safran, Gunn has been hard at work creating a game plan for the popular characters, which, in some ways, has set the studio back to day one. He has controversially scrapped Dwayne Johnson, Patty Jenkins and Henry Cavill from the scene in order to take better control of the narrative.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn gave select press a sneak peek of what’s to come yesterday (Jan. 30) at the Warner Bros. lot before sharing a video on social media breaking down the first chapter, titled “Chapter 1: God and Monsters,” of the newly-unified DCU.

“As many of you know, DC has been disconnected in film and television for a long time,” Gunn said in the video.

“It’s one of our jobs, mine and Peter’s, is to come in and make sure the DCU is connected in film, television, gaming, and animation,” he said, and continued to stress that the characters need to be “consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within one story.”

During the preview, Gunn stated that one of their strategies is “to take our diamond characters, which is Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and we use them to prop up other characters that people don’t know,” per THR.

Gunn shared in the video that the upcoming DC projects Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will lead directly to “their next few projects.” He also stated that the information he is sharing is not an overview of the complete chapter.

DC Chapter 1 Series

Creature Commandos: Written by Gunn, this is an animated series that THR described as a “modern take” on a team of Nazi-fighting monsters. When talking about the series in the online video, Gunn stated that it will star voice actors who can also portray the live-action characters in future DC projects (similar to Marvel’s What If…? series).

Lanterns: Gunn described this series as “a big premiere HBO television series.” He stated that it will feature the characters Jon Stewart and Hal Gordon in a “terrestrial-based TV show,” similar to True Detective, “with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over precedent Earth.” He continued, “In it, they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our larger story of the DCU.”

Paradise Lost: Comparing the upcoming HBO Max series to Game of Thrones, Gunn shared that it will take place on Paradise Island which is the birthplace of Wonder Woman.

Booster Gold: Described by Gunn as “one of comic book’s cult heroes,” Booster Gold “is a loser from the future who uses future technology to come back to present day and become a superhero so that people will love him.

DC Chapter 1 Movies

Waller: Viola Davis will reprise her character as Amanda Waller from James Gunn’s Peacemaker series. The story is being written by Christal Henry from Watchmen and Jeremy Carver from Doom Patrol.

Superman: Legacy: Described as “the true beginning of the DC,” Gunn shared that this movie will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025 and will be written by himself. Per THR, Safran says the project is not an “origin story,” but rather, “it focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.”

The Authority: Gunn referred to this work as his “passion project.” The movie is based on the WildStorm characters that are newly being brought into the DCU. He stated that the characters will interact with the primary DC characters. “They think the world is broken and they want to fix it by any means necessary, I think it’s a very different look for superheroes,” described the co-CEO.

The Brave and the Bold: The movie will introduce the DCU’s Batman in a story about “Batman and his actual son Damian Wayne.” It is based on Grant Morrison’s comic book run, which introduced Batman to his assassin son. “It is the beginning of the Bat Family in the DCU,” Gunn explained.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow: Inspired by Tom King’s run, Gunn said the story will introduce the eponymous character as a “much more jaded character.”

Swamp Thing: Gunn described this work as a “very dark horror story” of the well-known monster.

THR also reported that there will be a Batman sequel starring Robert Pattinson that is set to be released on Oct. 3, 2025.

“Those are the stories I can tell you about right now. I’ve loved the DC characters since I was a child, they’re incredibly important to me,” said Gunn in his concluding statement. “I knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something very different.”

He continued to say, “Storytelling is always king. That’s all that matters to us.”