Movie franchises are a huge industry in not just Hollywood but entertainment as a whole. One of the most popular of these franchises is none other than the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which brings the stories of the company’s comic books to the big screen for many audiences to enjoy. With Marvel’s success in its live-action movies, it would only make sense for its rival, DC, to try and franchise their own line of films.
The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) was DC’s attempt at rivaling the MCU, releasing its first installment, “Man of Steel”, in 2013. The film received mainly positive reviews, promising a good start to the DCEU. However as the franchise went on, audiences only became more and more distasteful of the new films. With many films bombing at the box office, along with its reviews becoming more critical, the DCEU would see its end in 2023 with the release of its final movie, “Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom”.
However, this wouldn’t mean the end of a DC film franchise, as famous filmmaker James Gunn, alongside film producer Peter Safran, would be named as co-CEO’s of DC Studios, with efforts to reboot the DCEU into their own, which they would call the DCU. Gunn is no stranger to comic book movies, having directed “The Suicide Squad” (2020), as well as the MCU’s own “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy. These films all received high praise from both critics and audiences, which prompted many fans to view the newly planned reboot series in a hopeful light.
Gunn is also not so secretive when it comes to his plans and feelings about the new franchise, expressing many plans with major outlets, while also showing his passion toward creating it. Gunn and Safran show no problem making big decisions for the sake of their rebooted franchise, either. Having canceled Patty Jenkins plans for creating a sequel to her DCEU films “Wonder Woman” (2017) and “Wonder Woman 1984” (2020), having felt that her planned films “didn’t fit” into their new universe. Gunn has even come out and said that he will not greenlight any projects until the script is where he wants it to be.
The DCU already released their first installment, which would be the animated-series, “Creature Commandos” (2024), which follows a group of monster-like beings sent by the U.S. government secret missions. Receiving many positive reviews, the series is already greenlit for a second season, which has many fans hopeful for what’s to come next. Gunn has already confirmed that “Superman” (2025) will be the first film installation of the DCU, and is planned to release July 11. The trailer for the film went viral after only hours of its release and shows many different changes Gunn and Safran have made compared to the previous DCEU, with no doubt of it being one of the most highly anticipated films for 2025.
Though many fans harbor positive thoughts toward the DCU and anticipate its future projects, some are still wary of it. Seeing as how only one installment is released so far it would make sense to not give the new DCU so much credit yet, especially since the DCEU also had a highly anticipated start, only to fall over time. Still, Gunn expresses his seriousness and passion towards the DCU, and is very open towards talking about his plans and ideas for it. Only time will tell how successful the new DC franchise will be, but that still won’t stop fans from discussing their own anticipation for it.
