Announced DCU Movie Won’t Happen Anytime Soon, James Gunn Reveals

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has addressed a popular theory about the DC Universe, and, in the process, revealed that The Authority is no longer in active development.

Earlier today on the social media platform Threads, Gunn responded to a discussion about the planned DCU film based on The Authority after one user stated that Gunn was “almost certainly the writer/director” of the movie, referencing an interview the filmmaker did where it seemed that he accidentally revealed he was scripting the project.

Responding to the user, Gunn explained on Threads that it was “Just a normal slip of the tongue.” He went on to state that he “would have never had time to do this and although I know this is a popular theory online I never had an intention of writing or directing The Authority.”

What did James Gunn say about DCU’s The Authority movie?

Gunn then confirmed that no major progress has been made on The Authority and had been essentially shelved at DC Studios for the foreseeable future. “The script wasn’t quite there but more importantly it didn’t work in terms of the larger DCU both in terms of the story and practical concerns. Maybe some day. Not soon,” he wrote.

This is a disappointing update for The Authority, especially since Gunn shared back in September that he had just talked to a “really good creator” about the project. Clearly, those talks didn’t work out and the project is now on the back burner.

The Authority was intended to be one of the first films released in Gunn’s DCU. It was announced alongside The Brave and the Bold, Superman, Supergirl, and Swamp Thing as the first five features on DC Studios’ slate for the DCU’s first chapter, Gods and Monsters.

Created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, The Authority made its first appearance in 1999 in the comic book of the same name published under DC Comics’ Wildstorm imprint. The superhero team is mainly composed of characters from Stormwatch, such as Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, The Engineer, Apollo, and Midnighter.

While The Authority won’t be coming to the DCU anytime soon, their planned inclusion is already a part of the shared universe’s fabric. María Gabriela de Faría portrayed Angela Spica/The Engineer in 2025’s Superman, where she served as an ally of Lex Luthor. Her appearance in the movie, and its upcoming sequel, Man of Tomorrow, was intended to set up her role in The Authority.

Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.

Originally reported by Lee Freitag for SuperHeroHype.

Source: Comingsoon.net