DCU Film The Authority 'On the Back Burner,' as James Gunn Points to Difficulty 'Getting It Right in a World With The Boys'

It appears that the DCU movie The Authority is facing challenges, as acknowledged by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who mentioned it has been placed on the "back burner." Announced as part of Gunn and Peter Safran's expansive Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC Universe reboot two years ago, The Authority was intended to showcase the notoriously brutal superhero team from the WildStorm Universe. Gunn initially described the film as a "big movie," but recent developments suggest it has encountered significant hurdles.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn highlighted The Authority as the most challenging project within Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. He cited Amazon's successful adaptation of The Boys as a contributing factor to the film's difficulties. Gunn explained, "Honestly, Authority's been the one that's been the hardest, both because of the shifting overall story and because of getting it right in a world with The Boys and a world with all the things that The Authority influenced that came out after it."

Gunn also mentioned the desire to continue the stories of characters already filmed and to facilitate their interactions, which has added complexity to the project. He admitted, "And also having a lot of characters that we've fallen in love with that we've already filmed and have that we want to continue their stories and see them meet each other. So I will admittedly say it's a little bit more on the back burner right now."

DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

38 ImagesOne character from The Authority, The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickstarter film Superman. As the most powerful member of the group, The Engineer possesses the ability to self-duplicate, is a technopath, and boasts a genius-level intellect and radio-induced telepathy. For a deeper dive into the characters, check out IGN's article, Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained.

The Authority isn't the only project facing difficulties within Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Gunn noted that Waller, a spinoff of his HBO Max series Peacemaker, has experienced "a couple of setbacks." Conversely, the HBO Max series Booster Gold is "going pretty strong," and Paradise Lost remains a significant focus, with Gunn stating it "is totally, still important and we're working heavily on it." Peter Safran confirmed that the pilot for Paradise Lost is currently being written.

Regarding Swamp Thing, Safran indicated that DC Studios is willing to wait for director James Mangold to be ready. Mangold, who has been working on another project, A Complete Unknown, is highly regarded by the studio. Safran expressed their willingness to wait, saying, "Our writer-director went off to make another little movie, A Complete Unknown, and we hope that he'll come back to Swamp Thing when he's ready, because again, that was one of those ones that we love him as a filmmaker, so we're happy to wait for him." Gunn added that Swamp Thing "is not integral to the larger story that we're telling," emphasizing its standalone nature within the DCU.