It’s only been two weeks since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-CEOs of DC Studios. However, it would appear the duo has been very busy over that time, according to the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery.
In a discussion hosted by RBC (via THR), Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav updated folks on the progress that Gunn and Safran have made in the short time they’ve had running the newly-formed DC Studios. Not only that, Zaslav hinted at a more streamlined DCU that isn’t fractured into multiple superhero timelines and universes.
Zaslav said Gunn and Safran are “coming close to the end” of finishing a bible for the DCU. That, of course, borrows a term used in TV and other mediums to denote a big document that outlines the broad strokes and “rules” for a created world. Basically, it’s the document that will shape and drive the creative aspect of the output of DC Studios over the next decade or so to come. And Zaslav hinted at what that new DCU might look like moving forward.
“I think over the next few years, you’re going to see a lot of growth and opportunity around DC, there’s not going to be four Batmans,” Zaslav said. “And so part of our strategy is drive the hell out of DC, which James and Peter are going to do. I think they’ve thrilled the fans. I think they’re going to thrill you over a period of time.”
The “four Batmans” comment is a direct shot at the previous strategy by Warner Bros. (pre-merger) that focused on ideas and story first and not so much a streamlined cinematic universe. That’s why you saw a “Joker” exist in one universe while “The Batman” existed in another, with neither of them actually occurring in the original universe outlined by Zack Snyder with “Man of Steel” and “Justice League.” There’s also Michael Keaton’s Batman from “The Flash.” It also probably includes the fact that CW was muddying up the waters with its Arrowverse titles that hinted at a separate version of Batman. Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the Batman that is shown in “Gotham,” the one coming up in “Gotham Knights,” and the baby Bruce Wayne that somehow exists in “Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler.” Unless I’m forgetting yet another version of Batman in the live-action space, that leaves us with the potential for 8 separate versions of the Caped Crusader.
Clearly, Zaslav thinks that’s not the best strategy moving forward.
That does make you wonder if this means “The Batman” and “Joker” will somehow fold into the current DCU? Or perhaps, those are outliers and will be grandfathered into the current situation? Obviously, we still have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. That said, we do know that things are in the works and that’s an exciting notion for DC film fans.
Perhaps, this tweet from James Gunn hints at a future character that could play a role in the new DCU (that’s Mr. Terrific, a pretty obscure hero from DC Comics mythology):