Today’s announcement of the first “Chapter” of the new DC Universe of films is probably a lot more than people were expecting. While James Gunn has teased that an announcement was coming, he also kept prefacing that by saying it’s just a small number of projects. Well, sure, the announcement isn’t as large as when Marvel Studios unveils two Phases and a million TV series and films, but the reveal of DC Studios‘ first slate of projects is pretty substantial. And perhaps most surprising, it wasn’t just films that were announced, as Warner Bros. Discovery also showcased a few TV series that will be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s master plan.
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First, we have the least surprising TV announcement. It was finally confirmed that Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis in the most recent DC films, is getting her own series. Titled “Waller,” it would appear, at least for now, that Davis earns the right of being the only holdover from the previous generation of DC films, having appeared in numerous projects and, most recently, “The Suicide Squad” and “Black Adam.” This points to the fact that the new DCU is not a full reboot, as many were speculating, but it is close. According to Gunn, Davis will “team up with Team Peacemaker,” which does make a strong connection to “Peacemaker” and “The Suicide Squad,” two Gunn-created DC properties that sounds like they will survive in this new future. The series will be will be written by Christal Henry (“Watchmen“) and Jeremy Carver (“Supernatural“).
The other two TV projects that were announced are much more interesting, in a “new is always more fun” way. The next one is kinda not very new, but also brand-new, in a way. That’s the upcoming “Green Lantern” series titled “Lanterns.” Sure, there has been a “Green Lantern” series in the works for years now, but that was under the guidance of Greg Berlanti. At that time, it was to focus on multiple Lanterns and was already in the process of being cast. Unfortunately, it never fully came together, and now Gunn/Safran is here to start from scratch, yet again. WB says this enormous TV event series “follows intergalactic cops John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they uncover a dark mystery.” In the announcement video, see below, Gunn says the series is a terrestrial show and “almost like ‘True Detective‘ with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops.”
READ MORE: James Gunn Debunks Rumor That ‘Green Lantern’ Series Is Canceled
The last TV series that was announced today definitely carries the most question marks. That series is “Paradise Lost.” This is being described as a “Game of Thrones”-esque take on the Wonder Woman mythos and is supposed to be largely set in Themyscira, the homeland of Wonder Woman’s people. But is Gal Gadot going to be involved? At this point, it’s unknown. Plus, with how many people adore the glimpses of Themyscria that were shown in the previous DC films, this seems like a surefire hit. WB says this drama focuses on the “genesis and political intrigue of an island of all women.”
“Booster Gold” will be another new HBO Max TV Series. The character, Michael Jon Carter, is a member of the Justice League in certain incarnations, but it’s also one of the more interesting DC characters as he’s built on a lie and comes from disgrace. The original comic storyline features Carter as a shamed and discredited athlete from the future who lost games purposefully for money. He essentially steals items from a superhero museum and goes back to the present-day time in an attempt to start over and find personal redemption, but eventually, his secret is revealed.
“Creature Commandos” will be an animated DC series that definitely falls under the Monsters side of “Gods and Monsters.” It will be a seven-episode animated show in which Amanda Waller creates a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners; Gunn wrote all the episodes of the first season. First appearing in “Weird War Tales” #93 in 1980, the team was composed of a human team leader, a werewolf, a vampire, a Frankenstein’s monster, and a gorgon.
As with the MCU and Marvel Studios, these series are all going to be part of the larger framework of the new DCU, with interconnecting continuity and perhaps characters being shared with other projects. And clearly, DC Studios wants the TV side of things to be just as big as the films.