All the new DC Universe movies and shows in development, ranked by hype

3. Superman Legacy

Superman can’t catch a break at the movies. Henry Cavill played him in one solo movie that was more or less well-received, a sequel that people hated (Batman v. Superman) and a team-up film that was such a dud it sent the DC Universe into a tailspin so bad that James Gunn and Peter Safran had to be brought in to fix it.

Rather than continue with the Cavill version, Gunn is writing a new story about a younger Superman, to be played by an actor we don’t know yet. Gunn says that Superman Legacy is “the true beginning of the DCU.” Gunn is writing this one himself; considering how important the character is to the DC brand, I think he’ll give it the attention it needs to be good.

Superman Legacy is also the only new DC movie with a release date: it’ll be out on July 11, 2025. That also speaks to the confidence Gunn and company have in the project.

4. The Authority

I’ll admit I’ve never heard of The Authority before. Gunn describes them as “a group of superheroes who think the world is broken and they wanna fix it by any means necessary.” Their number includes Jenny Sparks, who can turn into electricity; The Engineer, a scientist who replaced her blood with with a nanotech fluid; The Doctor, a drug addict and Shaman, and others.

This seems like the kind of rag-tag group of misfits that Gunn specializes in (see also the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Suicide Squad). He describes the movie as a “passion project,” and I have hope that his passion will shine through. Plus, the notion of a group of heroes determined to fix the world at any cost is intriguing. At what point do the ends justify the means? I’m sure we’ll find out.

5. Booster Gold

In his announcement video, Gunn talked about wanting to make superhero shows and movies in different genres. A Booster Gold show on HBO Max could help with that.

Booster Gold is a little-known DC superhero who hails from the distant future. He was a bit of a loser there, so he used technology to travel back to our time and become a superhero in the hopes of being loved.

This series will probably be on the lighter side. Of course, there have already been DC series with their fare share of humor, including James Gunn’s very own Peacemaker show. We’ll have to see just how distinct a show like Booster Gold can be.

And speaking of Peacemaker…