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After eight incredible episodes, The Penguin season 1 is over, but DC fans won't have to wait long for a TV show inspired by their favorite superhero universe. That's because on December 5, Creature Commandos begins streaming on Max, bringing the misfit group of monsters off the D-List on into everyone's conversations. But even more important than that, Creature Commandos is the start of a brand new era for comic book fans: The James Gunn and Peter Safran-led DCU. 

Does this mean that Gunn and Safran’s tenure as the bosses of DC Studios, and their already-announced plan for the next few years’ worth of releases, will be one marked by weirdness? Well, only slightly; after all, summer 2025 will see DC return to the big screen with Superman, the most mainstream of all superheroes, bringing the new DC Universe to audiences — you can see the many, many projects that are part of that universe below.

Of course, you might need a guide to help you keep track of everything — which, thankfully, is exactly what you’re about to get. What follows is a full overview of the coming DC projects on film and television. This includes previously launched series that are currently expected to continue and upcoming movies, whether they are set in the new DCU or their own separate canon — what DC is officially calling “Elseworlds” projects. Release dates and windows are provided, where available, but with so much transition still in effect, many of the production details are still being kept under wraps.

If you're looking for a list of all the superhero movies in our future, here's our upcoming superhero movies guide.

Upcoming DC movies and TV show schedule

If you're looking for a quick rundown of everything with a date (or at least a year), we have that for you here:

If that seems like a particularly short list… well, it is. But there are a lot of additional features with no release dates attached that don’t appear above, as you’ll find out soon enough. Don’t worry; there’s a lot of DC projects coming your way, even if we don’t know when.

If you’re looking for more information about what’s to come, keep reading — but be prepared, because we’re going to break things down in a very specific order: the new DCU (announced officially as “DC Chapter One: Gods and Monsters”), and Elseworlds projects that exist outside of the new shared continuity that’s being built.

DC Chapter One: Gods and Monsters

Creature Commandos

The first project expected to be released as part of Gunn and Safran’s DCU slate is the DCU animated series Creature Commandos. At the DC Studios presentation in January 2023, Gunn shared that he wrote the series, with the seven-episode first season already in the midst of production. The show follows a group of monstrous heroes, including Frankenstein and Weasel from The Suicide Squad, with the show set to premiere on Max December 5, 2024. Gunn said that the casting is intended for actors to be able to portray their characters in both animation and live-action as an added commitment to their versatility in the DCU; we already know that Frank Grillo will voice Rick Flag Snr. in this series before appearing in live action as part of the second season of Peacemaker.

Release date: December 5, 2024

Platform: Max

Superman

Just as 2013’s Man of Steel ushered in the DCEU, DC’s flagship superhero is set to kick off the DCU canon with the upcoming Superman, set to premiere July 11, 2025. Written and directed by James Gunn himself, the movie will recast the role of Superman as it will focus on a younger version of the character in the early years of his superhero career. Plot details remain scarce but Gunn has described the movie as having Superman attempt to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage and upbringing in Smallville as he balances his lives as Clark Kent and Superman. At the January 2023 press event, Gunn cited Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman as an inspiration, though clarified it will not be an adaptation of the comic book story. David Corenswet will play Superman, Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor, and we'll all play the role of theatergoers when the movie is released in 2025.

Release date: July 25, 2025

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Peacemaker, Season 2

Springing from the events of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, filmmaker James Gunn created the spinoff HBO Max original series Peacemaker, which premiered to positive fan and critic response in January 2022. The show follows gun-toting antihero Peacemaker as he grapples with his complicated morality and penchant for violence while uncovering an alien infiltration on behalf of the intelligence agency A.R.G.U.S.. Though HBO Max officially renewed the series for a second season in February 2022, Gunn’s attention was almost immediately focused on his new duties co-heading DC Studios and working on Superman. The second season of the show will be fully written by Gunn — and all scripts are completed — with Gunn directing some of the episodes alongside Greg Mottola; the show is currently in production.

Release date: August 2025

Platform: Max

Lanterns

Created by a three-headed writing team of Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers, Watchment), Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark), and comic book writer Tom King (Mister Miracle, Batman, The Human Target), Lanterns will be an HBO Originals project co-produced by DC Studios that follows two human members of the Green Lantern Corps — Hal Jordan and John Stewart — as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Of course, given the Green Lanterns’ outer space jurisdiction, it’s unlikely that the investigation will stay in the U.S… The series will run eight episodes (at least for its first season), with Mundy as showrunner. Kyle Chandler will play Hal Jordan, while Aaron Pierre will star as John Stewart. No release date has been announced, but it’s telling that the series is described by HBO’s Casey Bloys in a statement as the “first new live action series” of the DCU.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

As a new Man of Tomorrow comes to the DCU with Superman, Gunn and Safran are also introducing Kal-El’s cousin Kara in the planned film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Inspired by Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s 2021 comic book miniseries of the same name, Gunn observes that Woman of Tomorrow follows a “more hardcore” Supergirl than audiences might be expecting. Whereas her cousin was raised by a loving family on Smallville, Gunn explains that Kara witnessed those around her die until she arrived on Earth as a teenager, providing her with a sharp contrast in perspective and action from Superman. It has been announced that Milly Alcock will play the Maid of Might in the feature, with Craig Gillespie directing the movie from a screenplay by Ana Nogueira. (Personally, we suspect Alcock might show up possibly in other projects released earlier than this movie; I’m looking at you, Superman.)

Release date: June 26, 2026

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Waller

Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is the most prominent character retained from the DCEU into the new DCU continuity, after making her debut in 2016’s Suicide Squad. Davis is set to reprise her role in her own television series, simply titled Waller, and set after the events of the first season of Peacemaker. Waller was last seen exposed to the press by her own daughter, Leota Adebayo, for her illicit role with Task Force X and attempts to incriminate Peacemaker. The series will be developed by Watchmen television series writer Christal Henry and Doom Patrol Max series creator Jeremy Carver, as announced by Gunn at the DC Studios January press event, with reports suggesting that a 2024 release was possible. However, it’s been subsequently revealed that the WGA and SAG strikes complicated plans, with James Gunn explaining that Waller “will come after [Peacemaker Season 2] in the larger order of things.”

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

The Authority

Among the most surprising announcements from Gunn and Safran’s presentation was the news that a film based on the Authority is coming for the DCU. Based on the postmodern superhero team created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch for DC’s Wildstorm publishing imprint in 1999, the Authority is a team of heroes more morally ambiguous than many of their DC counterparts. In order to defend the world, the Authority is open to committing more questionable acts, with Safran comparing the team’s morality to “Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men.” James Gunn did reveal that one member of The Authority will appear in the 2025 Superman film, The Engineer, played by Angela Spica. No further details about the team’s cinematic lineup, plot details, or release window have currently been announced by DC Studios.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

The Brave and the Bold

Just as The Brave and the Bold was DC’s Batman team-up comic book title through the ‘70s and ‘80s, the planned film The Brave and the Bold is planned to be a team-up story focused on the Dynamic Duo themselves. The film will serve as the introduction for the DCU’s Batman, who will be played by a different actor than Robert Pattinson and be set in a different continuity than Matt Reeves’ Caped Crusader. As with Superman, The Brave and the Bold will be influenced by Grant Morrison’s Batman run, as Bruce Wayne teams up with his adolescent son Damian, who was raised by a shadowy order of assassins. No casting, production details, or release date has currently been announced for The Brave and the Bold.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Swamp Thing

There are plenty of monsters coming to the DCU, with the biggest of them all in the first wave being a Swamp Thing film planned to close out the DCU’s opening chapter of film and television programming. Gunn described the movie as taking place in its own corner of the DCU that will feed into the steady expansion of the shared cinematic universe as it revisits the origins of Swamp Thing; James Mangold is attached to write and direct the feature. No further details about the premise, production, or anticipated release date have currently been announced but it is not expected to be related to the short-lived Swamp Thing television series that ran for a single season on DC Universe in 2019.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Dynamic Duo

Robin fans, rise up! In October of 2024, James Gunn announced on the site formerly known as Twitter that an animated Robin film entitled Dynamic Duo is in the works. The film will feature the first two Robins, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, teaming up. Matt Reeves's production company, 6th & Idaho, are producing the film, which will feature a mix of CGI and puppetry from the animation studio, Swaybox. No further details have been announced. 

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Paradise Lost

Though the big screen future for Wonder Woman is still uncertain, with Warner Bros. not moving forward with filmmaker Patty Jenkins’ plans for a sequel to Wonder Woman 1984, the Amazons’ place in the fledgling DCU is taking shape. Among the television series announced by Gunn and Safran is Paradise Lost, a show set on Diana Prince’s remote island home of Themyscira some time before Diana’s eventual birth. Safran described the series as centering on “the political intrigue behind a society of all women” while Gunn compared it to Game of Thrones. No casting, release date, or production start date for Paradise Lost has currently been announced.

Release date: TBD

Platform: TBD

Booster Gold

Though Booster Gold made a memorable appearance in the series finale of Legends of Tomorrow, played by Donald Faison, DC Studios is giving a different version of the character his own television series. Set within the DCU continuity, Booster Gold is expected to stream on Max though no casting, release window, or production start date has been announced for the show. Gunn described Booster as “imposter syndrome as a superhero” and “a loser from the future,” with the character using futuristic tech to travel back in time to get people to like him but has not elaborated beyond that on the series’ premise.

Release date: TBD

Platform: TBD

TBD

It’s unclear if the following projects, which are intended to be part of the new DCU but remains unannounced officially by DC Studios or Warner Bros, will be part of DC Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, a future Chapter, or something else entirely. For now, think of them as a glimpse of things to come.

Blue Beetle

Little is known about the animated spin-off of 2023’s Blue Beetle live action movie beyond its creative team, which will feature that movie’s writer and director — Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and Angel Manuel Soto, respectively — as executive producers, with the movie’s EP John Ricard also assuming that role on the series. Miguel Puga will be showrunner on the new series, with Cristian Martinez also attached as writer. It’s unclear, even if Xolo Maridueña will voice the hero in the animated series, although James Gunn has already stated that he will play the character in the new DCU. For now, keep watching for updates.

Release date: TBD

Platform: TBD

Teen Titans

Oh yeah, it's coming. A live-action Teen Titans film will officially be a part of the new DCU, as announced recently by The Hollywood Reporter. It's close to the only detail that got announced — no word yet on who will be part of the team, what the release date will be, or who's in the cast - however, there was one bit of information that made it into the piece: the Teen Titans movie will be penned by screenwriter Ana Nogueira, who's also the scribe behind Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Elseworlds (Not part of the shared DCU)

The Batman: Part II

After its successful debut in 2022, a sequel to The Batman was formally announced at CinemaCon the subsequent April, tentatively titled The Batman: Part II and set for an October 3, 2025 release. Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader, while filmmaker Matt Reeves will similarly return to direct and co-write the sequel, joined by co-writer Mattson Tomlin. No plot details or new cast members have currently been announced, though the film will be separate from DC Studios’ core DCU continuity, branded as a DC Elseworlds project. Principal photography on The Batman: Part II, initially expected to begin November 2023, was later moved to March 2024, pushing the movie from its original October 3, 2025 theatrical release to a new date of October 2, 2026.

Release date: October 2, 2026

Platform: Theatrical (Buy tickets on Fandango or Atom Tickets).

Harley Quinn

Between her growing comic book presence to Margot Robbie’s stellar cinematic performances, this is undeniably Harley Quinn’s moment. Kaley Cuoco puts her own popular spin on the character in the HBO Max original animated series Harley Quinn, leaning into decidedly adult humor and boldly forging its own take on the DCU and Harley’s place within it. The show's fourth season wrapped September 2023, followed quickly by an official announcement of Season 5 from Warner Bros. So far, a release date has not been announced.

Release date: TBD

Platform: Max

The Sandman

Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg’s The Sandman is one of the most universally celebrated comic book series of all time and its inaugural season on Netflix was among the streaming service’s most popular series in 2022. Co-written and executive produced by Gaiman, The Sandman is largely faithful to its source material as Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, moves to rebuild his position after a lengthy imprisonment on Earth. Joined by other eternal personifications of the human condition, known as the Endless, Morpheus faces fantastic threats to his realm, including Lucifer themselves. Netflix officially renewed the series for a second season November 22 2022, and the show returned to production in late November 2023, with new cast announced for the Endless in May 2024. 

Release date: 2025

Platform: Netflix

What is the next DC movie coming out?

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Superman, coming out on July 11, 2025.

Officially, Superman will be the second DCU project; the small-screen Creature Commandos will debut first, in December 2024. However, in a recent interview about Creature Commandos, Gunn said, "Superman is the true start of everything, it's a humongous epic. This is a way for people to just take a little nibble and see what it tastes like... There are a ton of fun references to other DC stuff, a bunch of hints for things that are coming. So I think it's just an extraordinarily fun way to start.” 

Will Zack Snyder return to DC?

With several self-directed projects said to be in the works, Zack Snyder — who directed Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and one version of Justice League — is likely too busy to return to DC anytime soon; he has, however, previously spoken about a desire to make a faithful adaptation of Frank Miller’s seminal Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, suggesting that it’s the only thing that could bring him back to the studio and the characters.

DC, the ball’s in your court.

Will Lobo appear in the DCU?

If you've been hanging around the rumor mill for long enough, you might believe this question has already been answered, especially after the report came out that Jason Mamoa was in talks for the role. However, as of December 2023, Mamoa has not signed on as the Main Man (via The Wrap). We'll let you know if that changes.

Will there ever be a Batman Beyond movie?

Hey, we're wondering the same thing. Despite a few attempts to get one going, there are not, as of right now, any plans for a Batman Beyond film, animated or otherwise. That's a real shame, especially once you consider (as Popverse's Trent Cannon has), how Batman Beyond could be DC's answer to Sony/Marvel's Spider-Verse.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming comic conventions

And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:

• Upcoming MCU
• Upcoming Star Wars
• Upcoming Star Trek
• Upcoming DC movies & TV

Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:

• Upcoming superhero movies
• Upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons)