Superman Flies into Theaters as DC Universe's First Chapter Unfolds!
The DC Universe's inaugural film, Superman, is now playing in Canada! In 2022, Warner Bros. decided to reboot the DC film series, bringing in James Gunn, director and writer of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and Peter Safran, producer of the Aquaman series, to serve as co-chairs and CEOs of DC Studios. In 2023, they announced the slate of projects for Chapter One of the DC Universe, titled Gods and Monsters. Here's an update on their latest developments:
Creature Commandos Season 1, now streaming on StackTV
This animated series centers on the titular DC Comics team and marks the very first release in the rebooted DC Universe, with DC Studios co-head James Gunn writing all episodes in the first season. Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad franchise) returns to voice Amanda Waller, who assembles a team of monstrous characters for her secret missions. In addition to Davis, Peacemaker star Steve Agee and James Gunn's brother Sean Gunn also reprise their voice roles as A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos and Suicide Squad member Weasel, respectively, with Sean Gunn also voicing G.I. Robot.
The main voice cast for Creature Commandos includes Zoë Chao (The Afterparty), Marvel Cinematic Universe's Crossbones actor Frank Grillo, David Harbour (Stranger Things), Alan Tudyk (Rogue One), and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones). Notably, Frank Grillo voices team leader Rick Flag Sr., who is the father of Rick Flag Jr. (played by Joel Kinnaman in The Suicide Squad series). Rick Flag Sr. is also set to appear in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2.
In an interview with IGN last year, James Gunn clarified how The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker Season 1's plots integrate into the new DC Universe: certain plot points from these two works will be referenced in DCU projects, and those specific elements will officially be part of the DCU continuity. Creature Commandos explicitly mentions Rick Flag Jr.'s death in The Suicide Squad, confirming it as part of the new DCU storyline, which Peacemaker Season 2 will continue.
Superman, currently playing in theatres
This film is written and directed by James Gunn himself and was shot entirely with IMAX-certified digital cameras. As the first live-action film in the rebooted DC Universe, it features an all-new cast portraying iconic DC characters. This includes David Corenswet (The Politician) as Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent, Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult (young Beast in the X-Men series) as the villain Lex Luthor, Edi Gathegi (For All Mankind) as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Rex Mason/Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion (Castle) as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Hawkgirl.
Similar to other cinematic universes, the DC Universe will feature interconnected films and series, with characters appearing across different titles. Notably, Rick Flag Sr. (voiced by Frank Grillo in Creature Commandos) will appear in the Superman film. He will also be joined by this film's Hawkgirl, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) in Peacemaker Season 2, which premieres in August. Green Lantern Guy Gardner is also one of the protagonists of the currently filming live-action Lanterns series. Additionally, María Gabriela de Faría and Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) will portray Angela Spica/The Engineer and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), respectively, in Superman. They are set to appear in the upcoming The Authority film and the Supergirl film, scheduled for release next year.
Peacemaker Season 2, premiering August 21st on Crave
This season, like the first, will consist of eight episodes. James Gunn will direct three episodes and write all eight episodes, with other episodic directors including Greg Mottola (Paul), Peter Sollett (Metal Lord), and Alethea Jones. In addition to the returning main cast from Season 1, new principal cast members include Frank Grillo (who voices Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos), Sol Rodríguez as the comic character Sasha Bordeaux, Tim Meadows (Saturday Night Live), and David Denman (The Office). Gunn's long-time collaborator, Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy), also has a role.
From the trailer, it appears one of the season's storylines will revolve around the protagonist Peacemaker/Christopher Smith (John Cena) being hunted by Rick Flag Sr. and A.R.G.U.S., confronting his past mistake of killing Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) in the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Furthermore, this season will integrate into the broader DC Universe, with three characters set to appear in the Superman film—Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn)—already seen in the trailer. Importantly, while the show's first season was the only series in the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU), this second season is now part of the rebooted DC Universe. It's expected to explain the relationship between the two cinematic universes, with what looks like Monsters, Inc.-style "doorways" in the trailer seemingly hinting at a multiverse explanation.
Lanterns, premiering in 2026 on Crave
This series is currently filming. Chris Mundy, the showrunner of Ozark, is serving as showrunner, with comic book writer Tom King and acclaimed showrunner Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Watchmen) also involved in the creative process. Emmy winner Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) will portray Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively, as they investigate a murder case on Earth. Nathan Fillion (Castle) will reprise his role as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, with Emmy winner Kelly Macdonald also starring. Ulrich Thomsen (The Commune) will play the villain Sinestro.
Supergirl, North American Release Date: June 26th, 2026
This film is based on the 2021 comic Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and will contrast the unique upbringing of Supergirl, who witnessed the death of all her loved ones on Krypton and grew up alone, with Superman, who was adopted and raised with love on Earth. The film has already completed filming and is directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella). Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) plays Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), while David Krumholtz (Num3ers) and Cannes Best Actress winner Emily Beecham (Little Joe) portray her parents, Zor-El and Alura In-Ze, respectively. Matthias Schoenaerts (The Old Guard) plays the villain. Jason Momoa will also make a cameo in this film, but he will not reprise his role as Aquaman; instead, he will portray another comic character, Lobo.
Clayface, North American Release Date: September 11th, 2026
This body horror film revolves around a B-movie actor who takes a substance to maintain his fame, only to transform into Clayface. Filming is set to begin this fall, with James Watkins (Speak No Evil) directing. Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep) and Hossein Amini (Obi-Wan Kenobi) are writing the screenplay. Tom Rhys Harries (White Lines ) will play the protagonist, Clayface.
Other projects in Chapter One of the DC Universe, Gods and Monsters, include The Authority film, the Batman film The Brave and the Bold, and the Swamp Thing film, as well as the Amanda Waller series, the Wonder Woman-related series Paradise Lost, and the Booster Gold series. However, these are still in the scriptwriting phase and are not expected to be released until 2027 at the earliest.
If you are interested in upcoming movies to be released in Canada, please visit the Movie Release Schedule page on this website!
If you are interested in upcoming TV series to be released in Canada, please visit the TV Premiere Schedule page on this website!
Photo and Source: Warner Bros. Pictures、HBO Max