Last Updated on January 19, 2023 by Lil Ginge
Could members of the Guardians of the Galaxy cast be popping up in a DC superhero film near you?
Don’t be too surprised by it, according to a recent interview Empire conducted with DC Studios co-head James Gunn.
Gunn Could Bring Guardians Buddies to the DCU
Apparently, Gunn remains best buddies with a large portion of the Guardians cast, including such fine folks as Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, and Dave Bautista.
And directors like to continue working with their “best friends”. Just think of famous actor-director pairs like:
- Scorsese and De Niro
- Or Scorsese and Leo
- Nolan and Cilian
- Or, hell, Burton and Depp.
Meanwhile, It seems like we’ve run out of famous and semi-famous actors who have not participated in the MCU. So it’s only natural that MCU actors would continue to cross over into DC films as well.
And Gunn’s favorite motley crew of guardians in the galaxy may be the first to pop up.
Words from James Gunn Himself:
On his friends over at Guardians land, Gunn told Empire,
“This cast are like my family. I cannot tell you how close I am to Chris Pratt and Pom [Klementieff] and Dave [Bautista] and Zoe [Saldaña] and Karen [Gillan]. But I also know I will work again with all those people individually again. Probably at my other job.”
“His other job” being to completely recreate the structure of the DC cinematic universe. This “very healthy part-time job that’s at least another 40 to 60 hours a week” according to Gunn, will see Gunn create a ten-year plan for a sprawling combined story. It will involve all DC properties including film, series, animation, and games.
James Gunn and DC Studios
In 2022, the newly formed enterprise Warner Bros. Discovery hired Gunn and Peter Safran to be the co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios. Gunn and Safran both report to Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav. And Zaslav has been hard at work restructuring and recreating the entire Warner Bros. ecosystem by cutting lots of content, excess dollars, and also some people, too.
While original rumors had Safran running the new DC Universe by himself, it seems evident that Safran wanted a creative partner to help drive the direction of future franchise properties. Gunn, enter stage left.
After Gunn wraps Guardians Vol. 3, he will exclusively be with Warner Bros. Discovery. But bringing his friends from the MCU remains a major possibility. And even likely. Not only that but Gunn and Safran may also explore former DC Extended Universe cast members in new roles.
For, it seems likely that at least some former DCEU cast members will be back in new roles. For example, internet rumors abound that Jason Momoa, currently Aquaman, could be considered in the future of the DCU as Lobo. And to be honest, we’d love to see it.
What future role actors like Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, and Ben Affleck could play in the future DCU remains unclear. But personally, I am hoping whatever role Cavill plays incorporates the mustache that was so seamlessly and beautifully edited out of Justice League.
When Will Gunn & Safran Announce Their Plan for DC?
It is currently unclear when Gunn & Safran will announce their new 10-year plan for the DCU. But Gunn says it should be by the end of this month. Gunn also recently tweeted that he is writing an unannounced DC tv show and that he is a third of the way finished writing it.
Very little is currently clear about what the new Gunn 10-year plan for the DCU will entail. Dwayne Johnson said on his social media that Gunn & Safran do not intend to include Black Adam as part of the new universe’s phase one slate. But Johnson added, “DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Presumably, that includes not making more movies about Black Adam that probably didn’t earn a profit.
There are also rumors that Ben Affleck will direct a future DCU film. This would not be the first time this would be attempted. Originally, Battfleck was himself attached to direct the film that ultimately became the Matt Reeves-helmed film, The Batman. But that, to say the least, fell apart. Could be related to its plot, which involved villain Deathstroke slaughtering everyone Batman knows and loves. And probably some kids and puppies too. Because, why not?
Will The New DCU Feature (Any) Batmen?
Speaking of Battfleck, you may be wondering if the new DCU will feature (a? One? Some? Many? All) Batmen. The answer is, “I don’t know, and neither do you”. It does seem likely that at the very least one Batman will show up in the new DCU. Despite my protest that Batman isn’t needed there.
Nevertheless, it’s seeming more likely that Matt Reeves and his Batverse will remain a separate franchise from the mainstream DCU. The same would be true of Todd Phillips’s Jokerverse. In fact, the best way to think of The Batman 2 and the Jokerverse would be to consider them something akin to “Elseworlds” stories in the DC Universe.
Reeves’s plan for the Batverse is developing along a separate track from the Gunn & Safranverse. But, the team, hard at work on The Penguin series for HBOMax, has been meeting and collaborating to ensure that this doesn’t cause any narrative trainwrecks for either franchise.
At least, let’s hope it doesn’t.
For more DCU and Batverse content, check out my article Who Could Play Robin in The Batman Sequel?