DCU's The Authority Film Delayed, Gunn Struggles with Tone Amid The Boys' Success

It appears that the DCU movie The Authority is facing some challenges, as DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has revealed that it has been placed on the "back burner." Announced as part of Gunn and Peter Safran’s ambitious Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC Universe reboot two years ago, The Authority was pitched as a major film centered around the notoriously ruthless superhero team from the WildStorm Universe. However, recent developments suggest that the project is encountering significant hurdles.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn acknowledged that The Authority is the most challenging project among those announced for Chapter 1. He cited the influence of Amazon's successful series The Boys as a contributing factor to these 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 complexity of integrating characters already filmed and beloved by fans into the broader narrative, which has further complicated the development of The Authority. "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 kickstarter Superman. Known for her remarkable abilities such as self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy, The Engineer is considered one of the most powerful members of the group. For more information, check out IGN's article, "Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained."

The Authority is not the only project within Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters facing challenges. Gunn mentioned that Waller, a spinoff of his HBO Max hit series Peacemaker, has experienced "a couple of setbacks." In contrast, the HBO Max series Booster Gold is reportedly "going pretty strong," and Paradise Lost remains a priority, with Gunn stating, "It seems to be going pretty well." Peter Safran confirmed that the pilot for Paradise Lost is currently being written.

Regarding Swamp Thing, Safran noted that DC Studios is willing to wait for director James Mangold, who is currently working on A Complete Unknown, to be ready to helm the project. "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," Safran said. Gunn added that Swamp Thing "is not integral to the larger story that we're telling," emphasizing its standalone nature within the DCU.