DC Studios Sets Course as It’s Revealed How Many Projects Fans Can Expect Per Year

Warner Bros. has been trying to get its DC superhero movies right for over 25 years, and it hasn’t worked out until now, they hope. With new leaders in charge and a fresh Superman movie hitting theaters, the studio is once again rebooting its DC universe. This time, the plan is clear: a steady release of content and a new direction under James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Gunn, known for his work on Guardians of the Galaxy, is now leading DC Studios along with producer Peter Safran. Together, they’ve laid out a new plan. Going forward, fans can expect one animated film and two live-action DC movies every year. There will also be TV shows, mostly streaming on HBO Max. That’s a lot of content—and a big shift from the messy, uneven rollout DC has had in the past.

This reboot starts with a brand new Superman movie, written and directed by Gunn. The film features David Corenswet as Superman and introduces familiar characters like Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, as well as some new faces like Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and even Superman’s dog, Krypto. It’s the beginning of a new story that’s meant to tie all future projects together.

Warner Bros. is hoping this Superman movie makes more than $500 million at the box office. That’s not Marvel-level money, but it would be a solid success. More importantly, the studio needs audiences to like it enough to get excited for what’s coming next, like a Supergirl movie, a Green Lantern show, and new Batman films.

The stakes are high. Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav is counting on DC to turn things around. He’s said that DC is “one of the biggest value creation opportunities for us” and called it a potential “game changer.” The company is shrinking down after spinning off some of its cable channels, and DC is now its most important franchise.

In the past, DC was all over the place. Different divisions handled movies, TV, animation, and licensing, and they rarely worked together. That led to a lot of confusion and conflicting styles. But now, Gunn and Safran are in charge of everything. They make the final calls on all DC-related projects.

The two were officially brought on board in late 2022, after a long search. Zaslav had been meeting with different people, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, before settling on Gunn and Safran. What convinced him was a long conversation about superheroes and storytelling that turned into something much bigger. Gunn said, “The history of DC is pretty messed up. No one was minding the mint.”

Since then, the pair have shut down many of the old projects that were in development, like a third Wonder Woman film. They’re focused on building something new, with a more connected and consistent story across all media. They want each movie and show to feel like part of a larger world, similar to what Marvel did with the MCU.

That doesn’t mean every project will feel the same. Safran has said that superhero stories can come in all kinds of genres. There’s even a horror movie coming up about the Batman villain Clayface, and an animated movie in the works about a group of boys who have all been Robin, called The Dynamic Duo.

Gunn is already thinking about spinoffs too. According to someone familiar with the studio’s plans, characters like Mister Terrific and Jimmy Olsen could get their own shows. Gunn wants the stories to be “both utterly human and utterly fantastic.”

Dan DiDio, who worked at DC Comics for almost two decades, said something simple but important: “If Superman is working, the feeling from the audience is that DC overall is working.”

For fans like Loren Schroder, who attended the Superman premiere in Hollywood, the new movie means everything. “The torch has been passed to James Gunn,” he said. “This is his introduction to prove that he can do it.”

If Gunn and Safran’s plan works, fans can look forward to a steady stream of DC stories every year, three movies and several shows—all part of one connected universe. That kind of consistency is something DC has never had. Now, they’re betting everything on it.

This information was first reported by WSJ.

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