James Gunn recently revealed that future projects outside of the main DCU canon will be labeled differently.
James Gunn officially released chapter 1 of the new DCU, whose names included e.g Superman: Legacy and Brave and bold highlights a list of upcoming projects.
These films, along with the other films and HBO Max shows that were confirmed as part of Chapter One, form the main storyline of DC films. The DCEU previously operated in a similar manner with such projects as Superman and A wonder woman is the “main” story, while other films such as Joker happened outside of that universe.
With Gunn and Peter Safran’s new interconnected universe now well under way, there has been some concern about how future outside projects will fit in, or if they will even be made.
The Batman and Joker 2 branded as DC Elseworlds
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently revealed part 1 of the upcoming DCU chapter, titled Gods and Monsters.
While announcing that the network of films and HBO Max series will be combined into the DCU, Gunn also mentioned projects outside of this main canon, such as Matt Reeves’ Batman, will be labeled as DC Elseworlds going forward. This is set up in a similar way to DC Comics, where it is clear whether the story takes place in the main canon or outside of it in its own world.
Here are the three current upcoming movies that Gunn confirmed will be part of DC Elseworld stories:
Matt Reeves’ Batman Part II
Batman 2, starring Robert Pattinson, Gunn confirmed for an October 3, 2025 release as part of DC Elseworlds. The film will premiere in the same year as the first in the DCU Superman movie.
Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux
Gunn also confirmed Joker: Folie à Deux will be called the DC Elseworlds project, with Joaquin Phoenix returning as the Joker and Lady Gaga debuting as Harley Quinn.
The Superman movie by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by JJ Abrams, this is coming Superman the protagonist of the film is the Black Man of Steel. It is still in development and also joins the list of DC Elseworlds projects.
How DC Elseworlds will affect the future
Gunn and Safra’s labeling of outside projects as DC Elseworlds encourages future DC projects, even if they don’t fit into the DCU. It also clearly differentiated one project from the other for more casual fans who might not know the difference between the DCU and Elseworlds movies.
For example, someone might want to see an upcoming DC movie, but doesn’t want to go through several other movies to make sure they aren’t confused. Clear labeling makes this much easier for these types of fans to see exactly if something is connected to a larger franchise or if it’s something separate that can be viewed on its own.
Speaking about the Elseworlds label, James Gunn further highlighted how the project should be “really special” to justify its exclusion from mainline DCU continuity:
“The bar for an Elseworlds story is going to be higher than the bar for a DCU movie. Not that we don’t always have a high bar, but the telling of that story has to be something really special for us to go outside of our normal continuity and spend money to do it.”
Fans can still expect more movies and even TV series to be added to the DC Elseworlds roster in the future.
If Batman Part II is a box office success, it will likely lead to another film to complete the trilogy, and Joker might as well do the same. Coates Superman movie is going, it could very well get a sequel if it ends up seeing success, and fans won’t have to worry about it or any of the other mentioned projects being mixed up with the live movies within the DCU.
