Posted in: Comics, HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: dc studios, dcu, james gunn

DC Studios: New DCU Not Getting In-Canon Comics "At the Current Time"

As news on DC Studios' film/series slate rolls on, James Gunn shared that there are no plans "at the current time" for in-continuity comics.

During the New York Comic Con 2024 (NYCC 2024) panel for DC Studios' upcoming adult animated series Creature Commandos, writer/director and co-CEO James Gunn dropped an interesting tease about us possibly seeing some of the actors who were on the stage with him in the other roles in other New DCU media. When Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran first rolled out their plans, they discussed how their New DCU would involve more than just series and films, with video games, audio dramas, and more media looking to also have major roles. We're assuming that might also mean having some in-continuity comics coming from DC Comics (like the Arrowverse/"Earth-Prime" line) – but when asked about the possibility on social media over the weekend, Gunn noted, "not at the current time, no."

That's important because there was some confusion about the comic book that Gunn is consulting on, the new five-issue series Peacemaker Presents: The Vigilante/Eagly Double Feature (from Tim Seeley & Mitch Gerads and Rex Ogle & Matteo Lolli). Initial intel and reporting had the upcoming series taking place between the first and second seasons of the John Cena-starring series, with the implication being that it would be in continuity with the New DCU streaming series. Except it's not. After his social media promoted the series, Gunn stepped in to clarify the messaging.

"Yeah, that was me, sorry. I deleted the post from Threads and changed the text in IG. Someone posted the announcement for me yesterday while I was doing press for CC and it was intimated the books were in DCU continuity. They are amazing and fun books by wonderfully talented folks – but they're not in DCU continuity. Sorry!" Gunn wrote, clarifying that the five-issue series doesn't connect with the Max series. When asked if there were plans for DC Comics to produce in-continuity New DCU comics, Gunn offered the quote we noted above: "Not at the current time, no." Again, that doesn't mean that it won't happen down the road – or even get an announcement next month – but for now, comics fans looking for canon will have to be patient.

Creature Commandos: DC Studios' James Gunn Offers Details

Thanks to a video presentation from Gunn (busy working on Superman and Peacemaker Season 2) during the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival, we learned much more about what we can expect – and yes, those in attendance got a look at the adult animated series (though not released). The first look involved Waller (Viola Davis), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), Nina (Zoe Chao), and the topic of killing Nazis, followed by a fight scene between deep-sleeper Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk).

"It's a cornerstone of the legacy we've been entrusted to carry at DC Studios and plays an integral role in the vision for our future storytelling," Gunn shared with those in attendance. "Since taking the reins, our true north has been to bring DC film, TV, animation, and gaming into alignment under a single banner and bring a sense of unity and consistency into the DCU as a whole. This frees us to create a range of products that are diverse and compelling and deliver great stand-alone entertainment experiences on every medium while also being part of a larger story that we're telling within our unified DCU."

Gunn continued, "What this means in practical terms is that our characters can move in and out of animation or jump into a game or onto the big screen, but they will remain consistent throughout: same character, same history, same actor." For example, Davis is reprising her live-action role as Amanda Waller for the animated series, and Grillo's animated Rick Flag Sr. will be making the jump into live-action for the second season of Max's Peacemaker. From there, Gunn shared that the series will pick up "directly" from the first season finale of the John Cena-starring series – with Waller finding "her hands tied operationally."

"The new series picks up directly after our 'Peacemaker' season one finale, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning that she's no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker," Gunn revealed during the video presentation. That makes our leads a very different kind of hero than what viewers may have been used to in the past – and that's one of the things Gunn loves about the series: they "are actual literal monsters, and I can't wait for you to meet them. Creating this series has been one of the absolute joys of my life."

The role call for the adult animated series (and any potential live-action takes) includes Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., with Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot & Weasel, Steve Agee returning as John Economos, Anya Chalotra taking on the role of Circe and Benjamin Byron Davis as Rupert Thorne. In addition, Michael Rooker, Peter Serafinowicz, Linda Cardellini, Ben Davis, and Gregg Henry are on board as guest voices. Kevin Kiner and Clint Mansell (Peacemaker, Doom Patrol) are scoring the animated series,

First introduced by J.M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick in Weird War Tales #93 (November 1980), the comic book series focused on Frankenstein's monster teaming with a werewolf, a vampire, and a gorgon to fight Nazis in World War II. The series has the distinction of being the first DCU project that Gunn & Safran gave the green light to (with Gunn having penned the series) and the first from DC Studios that will hit screens. In addition, the series is being cast with voice actors who could also play their characters in a live-action project down the road.

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