James Gunn has been cooking up some big plans for the future of the DCU, and while Superman continues to fly high at the box office, the filmmaker is already teasing what’s coming next.
In a recent conversation with Chris Hardwick, Gunn revealed that his next film is a “follow-up” to Superman, though he’s keeping the specifics tightly under wraps.
“I can say that probably the next movie we’re gonna be making is the follow-up to Superman, which I don’t want to get in too much detail on, but like that’s what’s probably the next film we’re making, I think.”
Gunn added:
“Well, hopefully we’re making [The Batman Part 2] before that, and then I think it’s [the Superman follow-up]. And then we have another TV show, which nobody knows about, which is going next.”
That mystery TV series is especially intriguing. Projects like Booster Gold, Waller, and Paradise Lost don’t appear ready to shoot anytime soon, so this sounds like a completely unannounced title. Has a new DCU show slipped onto the slate without anyone noticing?
As for the Superman follow-up, Gunn previously dropped another clue, saying:
“It’s within the group of characters we’ve already met, and Superman’s an important element of it. So, that’s what I’ll say, but like that movie, that treatment is done.”
Many fans are speculating that this could be a Superman/Supergirl team-up movie, something Warner Bros. Discovery has already hinted falls within the “Super-Family” umbrella. If true, that suggests Gunn is feeling pretty confident about how Supergirl will perform when it hits theaters next summer.
This was also teased in a now private behind the scenes video called Adventures in the Making of Superman, which briefly showcased Gunn’s rough storyboards showing Superman, Supergirl, and Krypto flying together.
Below them was a panel featuring a bald head covered in lightbulb-like nodes, a not-so-subtle tease that longtime fans will recognize as Brainiac.
There’s also some chatter among fans that this could be something as bold as a Justice League International or “Justice Gang” style team-up. That would be a surprising swing, especially with Gunn already having shut down rumors about a World’s Finest film pairing Superman and Batman.
But, a “Super-Family” movie could be positioned as the other big DCU release of 2027.
Other DC projects like The Brave and the Bold and Wonder Woman are still in development, while Supergirl will face some tough competition at the summer box office. There’s also Clayface on the horizon, but with its horror-centric vibe and lower visibility, Gunn may be putting his chips on the Superman follow-up to be DC Studios’ next major win.
For now, Superman continues to impress at the domestic box office and is about to soar past $600 million globally, though international numbers haven’t quite matched that same energy.
