What’s happening in the DC/Warner Bros. world and the DC Universe? Well, for one, Walter Hamada’s tenure as the head of DC Films is coming to an end after this weekend when “Black Adam” is released. With Hamada leaving and WB’s Michael DeLuca and Pam Abdy entirely in charge—though still on the hunt for a DC Films head replacement— the Hollywood Reporter has a very in-depth article about what’s ahead for DC.
Note, the nature of this article, and THR’s report, which talks about “Black Adam,” is full of spoilers, so, reader, beware and proceed at your own peril. But let’s just say this “spoiler” is perhaps one of the worst-kept movie secrets right now.
Regardless, let’s start elsewhere. The biggest eye-opening news is that James Gunn has a secret DC Movie in the works, echoing similar things he told The Playlist earlier this year (that he had a potential DC Movie in the works). Gunn told us he was eyeing multiple DC projects, and THR essentially says the same while confirming that a second “Peacemaker” season is still going forward.
“DC is definitely in play ,” a source told the trade, but no one knows exactly what the project is. Gunn also seemed to pour some cold water on a report that he was working on an Amanda Waller series, telling us at the time, “There’s a lot of stories out there about what’s happening, and some of them are accurate, some of them are not.” THR doesn’t have details on what some of these projects could be, but he told us one of them was “’ Peacemaker’ adjacent.”
So, the other tidbit that jumps out from this long article is Superman. Warner Bros. brass is adamant about getting another Superman project moving forward, which would essentially be “Man Of Steel 2.” However, that title would not at all be official at the moment.
You’ll think to yourself, wait, Henry Cavill is still not back in the DC Universe as Superman, and well, this is where spoilers come in.
If you’re a hardcore DC Universe fan, you definitely know by now that Cavill is back as Superman in the post-credit scene of “Black Adam,” again, it’s all over social media. Additionally, Dwayne Johnson has not been subtle about this in interviews at all and has already told the press that he’s adamantly pushing for a Superman Vs. Black Adam film.
One wrinkle in all of this is that it was Walter Hamada, who was adamant about not bringing Cavill back as Superman, but Johnson, vehemently wanted him. So much so that the actor went around Hamada, asked DeLuca and Abdy, and eventually convinced them to get Cavill back into the costume, only shooting the “Black Adam” cameo in September (Part of the reason Hamada did not want Henry Cavill was because he had his own Superman plans that involved J.J. Abrams and screenwriter Tehasi Coates and their own distinct project)
Regardless, Charles Roven, who produced “Man Of Steel,” “Suicide Squad,” and many other DC projects, will be in charge of this next Superman film, whatever it is. At one point, which has been reported before, Christopher McQuarrie, who directed Cavill in “Mission Impossible—Fallout” was on the “Man Of Steel 2” wish list, but that was a few years ago (McQuarrie talked about this in 2019), and no outreach has been done to the filmmaker (plus McQuarrie has one more ‘Mission’ film and then is planning yet another non-‘Mission’ film in the works with Tom Cruise).
What’s happening with J.J. Abrams’ aforementioned Black Superman movie with Coates? Well, THR reveals that it would exist outside the DC Universe like Todd Phillips’ “Joker,” but other than that, no one seems to know if it’s still in the works given most of Abrams’ projects at DC have been killed like “Constantine.” In fact, the article also states that Abrams’ “Zatanna” project, written by Emerald Fennell, has been nixed too, so it’s not looking good for the Bad Robot/DC Films at the moment.
THR notes that the Superman of it all is complicated because Johnson wants Superman, WB wants “Man Of Steel 2,” and everyone seems to be jockeying for position now that Hamada is almost out the door.
The most telling quote within? An insider talking about the land grab power plays going on. “Right now, it’s the Wild West,” the source tells THR. “Everyone is trying to grab as much as they can. And this is exactly what happens in a leadership vacuum.”
Time will tell what happens, but either way, James Gunn and Henry Cavill fans should be very pleased at the moment.