Posted in: HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: , ,

James Gunn: Waller Series Still In Development; Checkmate Rumor "B.S."

DC Studios' James Gunn updated the Waller series, shut down that Checkmate rumor, and confirmed that DCU heroes will have multiple costumes.

Published
by
|
Last updated
|
Comments

Back in 2023, DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran rolled out "Gods and Monsters," their first wave of shows and films that would help set the foundation for their new DCU. As we inch past the 2-1/2 years mark, we've seen Creature Commandos debut, with Gunn's Superman feature film premiering in July and the second season of HBO Max's John Cena-starring Peacemaker arriving in August. Let's not forget Lanterns, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and a number of other live-action and animated projects on the horizon. But one show that's been a bit of a mystery has been the Viola Davis-starring spinoff series Waller from writers and co-showrunners Christal Henry and Jeremy Carver.

Waller
Image: DC Studios Screencaps

In a social media response from February 2024, Gunn noted that there were "a variety of reasons" why the series was moved after the second season of Peacemaker. "The only shuffling done was moving 'Waller' after 'PM' for a variety of reasons. And, yes, unlike most studios, we'll never start production on a process if the script isn't finished. Quality is the utmost priority," he shared. In February 2025, Safran had this to say about the project in a profile piece for The Hollywood Reporter: "We've taken a couple of cracks at it but still haven't been able to land. 'Waller' has been a bumpy road."

Since that time, rumors started rumbling that Waller was going to be turned into a series focusing on Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, and that the new series would focus more on an ensemble cast and not solely on Waller (almost sounding like a DCU version of Apple TV+'s Slow Horses). Earlier today on social media, Gunn clarified that Waller was still in development and that the Checkmate rumors were "B.S." – here's a look:

Auto Draft
Image: Threads Screencap
Waller
Image: Threads Screencap

And for those of you into superhero costumes, here is some good news. Gunn confirmed that he expects the DCU's heroes to have multiple costumes – here's a look:

Waller
Image: Threads Screencap

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
twitterinstagram
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.