DCU Film 'The Authority' Delayed: Gunn Cites Challenges in 'The Boys' Era

It seems that the DCU movie "The Authority" is facing some challenges, as DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has admitted that the project has been put 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 intended to be a significant film featuring the famously brutal superhero team from the WildStorm Universe. However, Gunn has recently described it as the "hardest" project among those announced.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn highlighted several reasons for the delays. He pointed out the influence of Amazon's successful adaptation of "The Boys" and the broader narrative shifts within the DC Universe as key factors complicating the project. "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 explained.

Additionally, Gunn mentioned the desire to continue the stories of other beloved characters already filmed and planned for future interactions, which adds another layer of complexity to "The Authority's" development. "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," he added.

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One member of The Authority, the electronics prodigy The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickoff film, "Superman." The Engineer is one of the team's most powerful members, boasting abilities such as self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy. For a deeper dive into The Authority, check out IGN's article, "Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained."

"The Authority" isn't the only project in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters facing hurdles. Gunn mentioned that "Waller," a spinoff of his HBO Max series "Peacemaker," has experienced some setbacks. On a more positive note, the HBO Max series "Booster Gold" is "going pretty strong," and "Paradise Lost" remains a priority with active development. "It seems to be going pretty well," Gunn said, with Safran confirming that "The pilot's being written right now."

Regarding "Swamp Thing," Safran expressed willingness to wait for director James Mangold, who is currently involved with another project, "A Complete Unknown." "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 stated, referring to Mangold's upcoming Star Wars movie, "Dawn of the Jedi." Gunn added that "Swamp Thing is not integral to the larger story that we're telling," emphasizing its standalone nature within the DC Universe.