The DC Extended Universe has been a well-publicized mess. Man of Steel got thing off to a divisive start way back in 2013. Batman v Superman had people scratching their heads and Justice League inspired the studio to pivot. There have been hits and misses since then, but it’s been messy at best.
Warner Bros. Discovery is trying to change that by putting Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran in charge of all thing DC going forward. We don’t know exactly what these two plan to do in their new roles, but Gunn got the ball rolling on Twitter by telling fans he was listening to their suggestions, even if he wasn’t going to take all of them:
"Opened up Twitter at the end of a long, creative weekend to see the many tweets to #SaveLegendsofTomorrow & #ReleaseTheAyerCut & fan support for other DC projects over the years. The majority of these requests were enthusiastic & respectful. It’s important we acknowledge you, the fans, & let you know we hear your different desires for the pathways forward for DC."
DC fans have long been pretty hashtag-happy, especially since Warner Bros. heard their pining and released a director’s cut of Justice League on HBO Max. “Although our ability to interact on Twitter has been lessened due to the workload of our new positions, we are listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey, & will continue to do so for the next few years,” Gunn continued. “But all our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects.”
Does this mean Gunn and Safran are actually going to revive Legends of Tomorrow or release a director’s cut of Suicide Squad? Just what do they mean by “the Biggest Story Ever Told”? We watch and wait, although plenty of people are already getting enthusiastic, including some DC heavyweights.
Jason Momoa is “very excited” about new DC project
Jason Momoa is one of very few actors to have come out of Justice League in a better position than he was going in (the other being Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman). He’s headlining the new movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom next year, and he told Entertainment Tonight that he’s “very excited” about a new project that became possible since Gunn and Safran took over DC Studios. “There are a lot of cool things that will be coming up. One of my dreams come true will be happening under their watch. So, stay tuned!”
We don’t know exactly what project Momoa is talking about, but the internet has some guesses: word is that Momoa is interested in playing Lobo, a DC antihero who cruises around the universe hunting bounties, cracking wise and taking no s*it from anyone. CBR asked Momoa about it directly, and while the actor didn’t confirm anything, he didn’t deny it, either:
"It’s definitely something I’ve collected my whole life. So, for all the fans who know me will know that I collect this comic book the most. So without giving you anything, if you’re a real fan you’d know what I collect the most, and you can go back in history to find out what I collect the most."
To top things off, Gunn posted a picture of Lobo as one of his first posts on the Twitter alternative Mastodon, which some folks are trying to make happen now that Elon Musk is burning Twitter to the ground; we’ll see if that works out, it’s not really the point of this post.
Lobo would indeed be a great fit for Momoa, who is charismatic but has portrayed a somewhat limited range of characters as an actor: but hey, if you’re the best in the world at playing brawny funny tough guys, why stop now?
One of Momoa’s next big projects is the historical drama Chief of War on Apple TV+. By way of transition, here he is stripping down to his Hawaiian loincloth on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Zack Snyder hasn’t been asked to return to the DC Extended Universe
So the DCEU is making big moves. Where does that leave the man who started it all: director Zack Snyder? The Justice League director opened up a bit on The Preston and Steve Show:
"As far as I know, which is very little, I am doing my thing and haven’t had anyone give me a call or anything. So I am just wishing them all the best and hoping that they make some cool movies."
Snyder is currently working on a Star Wars-esque movie for Netflix called Rebel Moon, so he’s doing just fine. Time will tell if this bold new DCU will succeed without him.
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