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Late last year, DC Studios had announced that Walter Hamada had departed from the role of CEO while director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran had stepped into the role as co-CEOs leading the film, TV, and animation division. This was a massive change for DC Studios’ hierarchy but, at the same time, a breath of fresh air for fans of both DC Studios and DC media in general. It is no secret that DC Studios has struggled in the last five to six years to keep up with the booming cinematic superhero market despite acclaimed hits like ‘The Suicide Squad’ and ‘Wonder Woman’. Movies like ‘Man of Steel’ and ‘Suicide Squad’ were box office hits but considerably underperformed in reviews from both critics in audiences.
The highly anticipated 2017 film ‘Justice League’ not only underperformed at the box office but was a certified mess, receiving only 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is clear that DC Studios, in an effort to mimic what was going at Marvel Studios, rushed to produce a Justice League project that would bring a number of their popular heroes to the big screen without properly building their stories. Now, with a new creative direction, there’s been a fair share of drama and speculation for what the future holds. So, what is happening at DC Studios and what will become of the DC Cinematic Universe?
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Major Firings
One of the major clues into the future of the DC Cinematic Universe is the firing of major actors from DC roles such as Henry Cavill and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Henry Cavill, known for his portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman, had recently come out online and stated that he was going to continue to play Superman in upcoming DC projects but quickly turned around to announce to the public that he was fired from the role and would not be returning to play the caped crusader in future films to come. A similar situation occurred when Johnson, who played Black Adam in the recently released DC film ‘Black Adam’ told the public that he would not be returning to the role. Another actor who was rumored to be leaving was Zachary Levi as the child-superhero Shazam in ‘Shazam!’. However, Levi came out and told the world that he would not be stepping down as the hero and Gunn had said nothing about him leaving the role.
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It does not end with actor firings: recently, the nearly completed ‘Batgirl’ film, directed by Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi was set to release last year but was canceled by Gunn. It is unknown if the film will come at a later date or never at all. This was not the end of cancellations, as the ‘Batman Beyond’ and ‘Batwoman’ movie and tv show, respectively, were both canceled as well. The upcoming ‘The Flash’ film is also in movie limbo as its star, Ezra Miller, has been at the forefront of a number of scandals and serious criminal charges.
It seems, given what we know now, that there is a clear pattern to the Gunn firings. Both Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill starred in projects that were both critical flops, with ‘Man of Steel’ receiving a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes and ‘Black Adam’ receiving a 39%. This is a clear sign that Gunn is trying to rid DC Studios of its mediocrity while keeping what works. This arguably began in 2021 when Gunn would take on the task of rebooting ‘Suicide Squad’ with ‘The Suicide Squad’, a reboot (or sequel depending on how you see it) that was not only a hit but a fantastical ride. Although the vision of Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe is unknown, it seems that Gunn and DC Studios, in turn, is going through a purge that will change the future of DC Studios forever.
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A New Cinematic Universe?
When Todd Phillips came out with 2019’s ‘Joker’, fans of DC Studios were confused to find out that the film was, in fact, not canon to the rest of the previous DC Cinematic Universe and a standalone project similar to Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight Trilogy’. In 2022, DC Studios released its second standalone project, ‘The Batman’, directed by Matt Reeves. With the recent announcement that Warner Bros. will enact a 10-year-plan similar to that of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga, it is safe to say that Gunn is planning on building a new DC Cinematic Universe. Or, at least, changing the trajectory of the previous one. It is possible that, moving forward, DC will continue to release solo projects like ‘Joker’ or ‘The Batman’ and continue to produce sequels to its successful DC Cinematic Universe films like ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Shazam!’ while trying to build something entirely new in the background.
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The firing of Henry Cavill could mean the emergence of a totally new Superman and other superheroes in what may be a totally new DC Cinematic Universe. This, however, is all still speculation as there is no word on what Gunn plans to do moving forward besides a soft reset. If Gunn does end up building an entirely new DC Cinematic Universe, it is worth questioning if Gunn will simply recast characters like Superman or simply restart similar to DC Comics’ ‘The New 52’, which was the revamp of the original DC Comic Book characters into a completely new canon.
What Will Become of DC?
DC Studios is undergoing serious change, and as of now, there is no way to know what will become of the upcoming projects. Films like ‘Joker’, ‘The Batman’, and ‘Aquaman’ will definitely have sequels, so fans of the comic book characters will have something to look forward to in the near future. Fans of the comic book characters may be saddened to see actors like Henry Cavill and projects like ‘Batgirl’ go, but it is good to know that both Gunn and Warner Bros. care about these characters and want to prioritize the quality of DC Studios’ next projects rather than continue to turn out films that, although may be box office hits, are lacking in their storytelling.
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Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
