Last updated: September 9th, 2023
After the shocking cancellation of Batgirl, the uncertainty of the direction of DC’s universe, and a power play for the universe by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, James Gunn, and Peter Safran have been brought in to right the ship. And they have a tough job ahead of them.
Their first moves were centered around clearing the old universe out. With the shocking firing of Henry Cavill as Superman following a tease in Black Adam, Patty Jenkins walking away from Wonder Woman 3 and dealing with the Ezra Miller situation, it’s clear that the Synderverse, the colloquial name given to the DCEU named after Zack Synder and his vision, was dead.
And, after waiting for what felt like forever, Gunn has finally revealed the first part of the first chapter of his story, titled Gods and Monsters. Consisting of animation, live-action TV shows, and films, these ten projects will be the start of a new era, the Gunnverse.
Gunn wants all the games, films, and TV to tie into a larger canon, like Star Wars. There will be a singular narrative told across each film, and anything not part of the main canon will be called a DC Elseworlds story, their version of the multiverse. His DC reboot has echoes of Disney casting out the Star Wars Extended Universe, which has upset some fans but it is ultimately what’s needed for the universe to succeed.
Before you start reading, you may want to keep our Marvel TV Shows and Movies 2023 and Beyond handy too.
Upcoming DC Movies and Shows in 2023 and Beyond
Here is the schedule of upcoming DCU projects in 2023 and beyond. The dates may change depending on whether projects are brought forward, delayed or outright canceled.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 20, 2023)
Well, Aquaman did fine as far as the box office goes, but there has been a lot of controversy behind the scenes for the follow-up. The whole Amber Heard situation put the brakes on the production, and it seems that the film’s schedule was delayed for over a year.
Doom Patrol Season 4 Part 2 (2023)
Along with Titans, Doom Patrol has also been canceled. The fourth season will get its conclusion later in the year, but there’s no release date as of yet.
Joker: Folie à Deux (October 4, 2024)
Joker: Folie à Deux will be the follow-up to the 2019 film Joker, a dark and melancholic take on the origins of the comic book supervillain. Lady Gaga has been cast as Harley Quinn. Director Todd Phillips has confirmed this film will be a musical, a new take on a comic book film. The title perfectly reflects the mental health interpretation, with folie à deux being defined as an identical or similar mental disorder affecting two or more individuals. It’s not clear how this will manifest. Brendon Gleeson will also appear, but his character hasn’t been confirmed yet.
The Penguin (2024)
Development on The Batman spin–off show The Penguin has begun, with a short, in-production teaser giving audiences a flavor of what to expect in the show. Colin Farrell will return as Oswald Cobblepot after the events of The Batman. The trailer touts it as ‘The next chapter in The Batman Saga,’ with what happens in this film likely affecting The Batman Part II.
Production on the show has halted due to the ongoing Hollywood strikes.
Superman: Legacy (July 11, 2025)
The official start to the first Chapter of the new DCU, James Gunn, has confirmed that he will be writing the film and that it won’t be an origin story for the Man of Steel. Gunn will direct the feature. David Corenswet will star as Clark Kent/Superman, and Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane.
The Batman – Part II (October 3, 2025)
The second installment of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s Batman franchise. Very little is known about the project at this point, but it will likely pick up on the Joker tease at the end of the first film.
Suicide Squad Isekai (TBA)
Suicide Squad Isekai was a surprising reveal by DC Studios but the fan-favourite villains will be making their way to anime at somepoint in the future.
Not much is known about the plot or characters yet, but the teaser trailer released shows Harley Quinn and Joker driving cars and fighting brand new monsters.
Superman and Lois Season 4 (TBA)
The CW’s Superman and Lois will continue after season three, though with a reduced episode count of ten and a reduced cast list, with Wolé Parks, Tayler Buck, Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, and Sofia Hasmik exiting the show after season 3. But Michael Cudlitz will take on a bigger whole next season as Lex Luthor, one of Superman’s most well-known villains.
Peacemaker Season 2 (TBA)
James Gunn turned his sights on Peacemaker, spinning off into his own show on HBO Max. Violent, funny, and with a sideways look at superheroes and vigilantism, Peacemaker falls into the same category of super fare as The Boys and Deadpool but still manages to hit the feels when it has to. There is no official release date for this project, but Gunn confirmed it will happen sometime after Superman: Legacy.
Constantine 2 (TBA)
Keanu Reeves will be returning as the demon hunter John Constantine after eighteen years after the original film came out. Frank Lawrence will direct the film, and Akiva Goldsman will write the screenplay. Plot details are tight, and the release date is unclear.
Creature Commandos (TBA)
The unofficial start to the first chapter of DC will be an animated series focusing on the Nazi fighting creatures of Creature Commandos. They will be brought into the modern era.
The series will star Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Indira Varma as The Bride, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus. Sean Gunn will voice both Weasel and G.I. Robot, and Steve Agee is reprising his role as John Economos. The show will be seven episodes long.
Waller (TBA)
Waller will be a spin-off following Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), as she leads a morally dubious government task force. It is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver, the creator of the Doom Patrol TV series.
Lanterns (TBA)
There will be multiple Green Lanterns featured in the upcoming Lanterns TV show, but it will mainly focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, as they try to solve a mystery on Earth. This mystery will no doubt play heavily into the future of the DCU.
The Authority (TBA)
This film will be based on a rather extreme group of superheroes who think the world is going wrong, so take it into their own hands to fix it. They will be morally grey, and were first introduced to DC comics in the 1990s by now Head of DC publishing Jim Lee.
Paradise Lost (TBA)
This TV show will focus on Wonder Woman’s home of Themiscyria, but before the hero is born. It will be a Game of Thrones type political thriller, with plenty of scheming and plays for power.
The Brave and the Bold (TBA)
This film will introduce the DCU’s version of Batman, and it will bring along the Bat-family. It will introduce Bruce Wayne’s son Damian Wayne, who is a murderous teen raised by assassins. He is also the DCU’s version of Robin. The film will be based on the Grant Morrison comics run on the character.
Booster Gold (TBA)
Booster Gold will center around a lesser-known DC hero, first introduced in the comics in 1986. He is from the future and a bit of a loser, so he takes some basic future technology and travels back to the past, and becomes a hero. James Gunn has explained that this will be an exploration of Imposter Syndrome but with a superhero.
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (TBA)
This sci-fi epic will be based on the Tom King comics mini-series and will feature a different take on the character. Unlike the happy Superman, who was raised on Earth by a loving family, this Supergirl is much darker. She’s watched everyone she loved be killed in horrible ways, thus making her a more jaded character.
Swamp Thing (TBA)
To close out the first part of the first Chapter there will be a horror film centering on the DC villain known as Swamp Thing. He is a plant/elemental creature in the DC universe and has already appeared in video games, and already had his own TV series in 2019 called Swamp Thing. James Mangold will direct the film.
And so, that’s the list of the Upcoming DC Shows and Movies in 2023 and Beyond. We will be sure to keep this updated!
JUSTIC LEAGUE was finished?
Saw a movie or series about Superhero about speed. I can’t find it and don’t remember the title. I know it’s _______speed. He’s dressed in a red suit and it had DC in the description of him trying to get the members back together to fight evil. Sound familiar.