Posted in: DC Universe, HBO, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: dcu, james gunn, kingdom come, peter safran, preview, warner bros discovery

James Gunn Goes "Kingdom Come" Route While "Making Plans" For DCU

Earlier today, we reported how DC Studios co-head James Gunn has been doing his part to stay connected with fans as he and fellow co-head Peter Safran map out the specifics of their DC Universe "bible" for Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav. Of course, if it wasn't for Gunn's quick thinking (dammit), we might've had a clue or two as to what his secret DC project was going to be, courtesy of Spotify Wrapped. But not long after, Gunn returned to social media with a post that included the caption, "Making plans." But it was what was accompanying the caption that got folks' dumpster fires of raging speculation raging high into the night. It was an image from Mark Waid & Alex Ross' classic 1996 four-issue comic book miniseries Kingdom Come. In the image, we see an older Superman standing at the head of a meeting table surrounded by other spandex folks.

Of course, the first assumption that was grabbed onto was that this "must" mean that Gunn & Safran are going to push for a live-action adaptation. Others started looking at who and who wasn't there for clues to a deeper meaning (with the table bringing up a ton of theories). For us? And if we're wrong, we'll own it… cool? We see it as Gunn picking a very cool image that would best represent the process of mapping out a DCU future. I never saw it as a clue to anything, more like a "rallying of the masses" motivational move on Gunn's part:

James Gunn Offers Some Early DCU Thoughts & Details

Earlier this week, Gunn reaffirmed via Twitter his & Safran's commitment to having the DCU stretch across a number of different mediums. "Yes, most definitely, the DCU will be connected across film and TV (and animation)," Gunn wrote in response to a DCU fan's question. But that wasn't all, as Gunn also shared a little clarity on the direction of the new DCU (though the overall DCU "Bible" isn't expected for reportedly another month or so).

First up, Gunn confirmed that some animated films will fit into DCU canon and that there will be some animated & live-action projects that exist outside of the main DCU (with 2D & 3D animation planned). When asked about the comics side of things, Gunn tweeted, "Very open communication. As everyone knows, I'm a huge comic book fan & I hope everything we do will lead to more people reading [DC Comics] (& vice versa). But Peter & I are not in charge of the comics – just all filmed DC entertainment." In addition, Gunn confirmed that he "will continue writing & directing select DC projects."

And Gunn & Safran haven't forgotten about the gamers out there, also confirming that games will also be more connected to the DCU. And as for anything Broadway or live theater, it appears that would be apart from the main DCU, too. Gunn also tweeted that it would be "surprising if you didn't hear at least a little more before" San Diego Comic-Con 2023 regarding his & Safran's DCU "Bible."

As for characters that fans have been pitching, Gunn revealed that "interestingly, Booster [Gold] was the MOST requested character when I asked people on Mastodon what character they'd most like to see on screen. I'm not creating stories by public vote, but I found it fascinating nevertheless." And speaking of "Booster Gold," that seems like the perfect segue into some love Gunn showed Campaign #SaveLegendsOfTomorrow for its creative pitch to Gunn to keep DC's Legends of Tomorrow in mind (as well as a proper end to the Arrowverse, if that's the case) involving Rocket & Groot crossing over from the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films and an appearance from Beebo (with @sylverfysh_ and @asineth responsible for the artwork and concept):

For a perfect example of how sometimes just a few words can say a whole lot, here's a look back at Gunn's tweet reaffirming a commitment to having the DCU connect across film, television, and animation:

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