This article is about the DC Universe.
- For it's predecessor see DC Extended Universe.
- For the streaming service see DC Universe (streaming service).
The DC Universe (DCU) is an upcoming American media franchise and shared universe based on characters from DC Comics publications. It was created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios. The franchise is a soft reboot of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), a film franchise featuring DC characters. The DCU retains certain cast members and narrative elements of the DCEU while replacing others. In contrast with the previous state of DC Comics adaptations, the DCU features a united continuity and story across live-action films and television, animation, and video games. Concurrent DC adaptations that do not fit within this continuity are labeled "DC Elseworlds".
After Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia merged to become Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), CEO David Zaslav revealed a plan to revitalize the DC brand following the poor reception of some DCEU films. Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly formed DC Studios in November 2022 after working on several DCEU projects, including the film The Suicide Squad (2021) and its spin-off series Peacemaker (2022–present). The pair spent several months with a group of writers developing the overarching story for a new DC continuity, which features a combination of popular and obscure DC characters. Some DCEU projects in development were abandoned in favor of new takes, while others (including Peacemaker) continued within the new franchise. Gunn and Safran wanted to focus on storytelling needs rather than forcing creators to produce their projects before specific release dates.
The story of the DCU is divided into chapters, starting with "Gods and Monsters" which will begin in 2024 with the animated series Creature Commandos. Gunn and Safran considered the chapter's first film, Superman (2025), to be the true beginning of the DCU.
Chapter One: Gods and Monsters[]
Films[]
| # | Title | Release Date | Director | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Superman | July 11, 2025 | James Gunn | Post-Production |
| 2 | Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow | June 26, 2026 | Craig Gillespie | Filming |
| 3 | Clayface | September 11, 2026 | TBA | In Development |
| 4 | The Authority | TBA | ||
| 5 | The Brave and the Bold | Andy Muschietti | ||
| 6 | Swamp Thing | James Mangold | ||
| 7 | Teen Titans | TBA | ||
| 8 | Bane and Deathstroke | |||
| 9 | Sgt. Rock |
Television Series[]
| # | Title | First Released | Last Released | Created by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Creature Commandos | December 5, 2024 | Present | James Gunn | Released |
| 2 | Peacemaker | January 13, 2022 | August 2025 | In Production | |
| 3 | Waller | TBA | TBA | Christal Henry & Jeremy Carver | In Development |
| 4 | Lanterns | Chris Mundy | |||
| 5 | Paradise Lost | TBA | |||
| 6 | Booster Gold | ||||
| 7 | Blue Beetle | Miguel Puga |
Video Games[]
After announcing the initial DCU projects, Gunn confirmed plans to include new video games in the DCU's shared storyline and said these games would be used to tell new stories that could bridge the gap between films and series. They were also being developed so audiences who do not play video games would not lose any overall story elements. He expected the games to take around four years to make.
Abandoned Projects[]
The Batman filmmaker Matt Reeves revealed in March 2022 that work on a spin-off series centered on the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) had led to work on a new idea based on Arkham Asylum. He said the series would expand on Arkham's introduction in the film and explore the origins of different characters related to it. Reeves envisioned a horror tone, with Arkham being depicted as a haunted house.[119] That October, Antonio Campos was hired to write, direct, and serve as executive producer and showrunner of the series,[120] which was being developed for the DCU by then.[121] It was no longer moving forward by July 2024.
DC Elseworlds[]
When announcing the first projects for the DCU in January 2023, Gunn said any project that did not fit into the DCU's shared universe would be labeled as "DC Elseworlds" moving forward. This is the same as how DC Comics uses the Elseworlds imprint to mark comic books that are separate from the main continuity.Safran said there was a high bar that non-DCU projects would have to meet to be greenlit
The following projects have been confirmed as part of the "DC Elseworlds" label:
- The animated series Teen Titans Go! (2013–present)
- Director Todd Phillips's films Joker (2019) and Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
- The animated series Harley Quinn (2019–present)
- The live-action series Superman & Lois (2021–2024)
- Director Matt Reeves's Batman shared universe (referred to by Reeves and his production partner Dylan Clark as "The Batman Epic Crime Saga"):
- Films The Batman (2022) and The Batman – Part II (2027), as well as an in-development third The Batman film
- Spin-off series The Penguin (2024)
- A planned Black-led Superman film written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J. J. Abrams
- A planned sequel to the film Constantine (2005) with director Francis Lawrence and star Keanu Reeves returning
- DC Universe Animated Original Movies
- The animated film Merry Little Batman (2023)
- A planned animated film based on the comic The Jurassic League (2022) written by Brian Lynch and produced by Gunn and Safran