It has been over two years since James Gunn announced his plans for Chapter 1 of the DCU, Gods & Monsters. Audiences finally got to see those plans kick off with the debut of Creature Commandos, and the franchise is moving along nicely as Superman is set to open in theaters in July 2025, followed by previously announced projects like Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Meanwhile, Clayface, Sgt. Rock and Dynamic Duo were announced after and have since been added to the slate of releases, showing a diverse line-up of projects and genres for the DCU. However, some titles announced in January 2023 have made no progress, one in particular feeling like a glaring omission: The Authority.
Speaking with various members of the press to update on the state of the DCU, James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed the status of The Authority. According to Variety, Safran said, “It’s a very, very big movie, if you’re going to do ‘The Authority’ properly and some story elements perhaps that are in ‘Superman’ and some of the other films that we’ve fast-tracked step a little bit on ‘The Authority.'” Gunn added that The Authority “also had a harder time coming along” and the film “hasn’t been as much of a priority because it has been subsumed” by everything, including the Wonder Woman-centric prequel series Paradise Lost and the DCU Batman film The Brave and the Bold.

Related

‘Clayface’ Just Hired the Perfect Director To Tackle Mike Flanagan’s DC Horror Movie

James Watkins, best known for directing ‘Speak No Evil’ and ‘The Woman in Black,’ will direct the DCU horror film.

The Authority was created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch in 1999 as a spin-off of the remaining members of the Wildstorm superhero team Stormwatch. The Authority was a groundbreaking and controversial comic when it was published. It focused on a team of superheroes who took matters into their own hands to make the world better, often blurring the lines between hero and villain. The Authority was certainly one of the most out-of-the-box picks for Gunn’s DCU, but their presence alongside more familiar heroes like Superman and Batman showed that this DC Universe was going to encompass various corners of the company’s established history.
‘The Authority’s Current DCU Status, Explained

DC Comics

James Gunn’s comments about The Authority not being “as much of a priority” are a sharp contrast from January 2023, when it appeared that the film was going to be the direct follow-up to Superman. The idea of Superman and The Authority being semi-connected films seemed to be confirmed when María Gabriela de Faría was cast as Angela Spica / The Engineer, a leading member of The Authority. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow will now be the follow-up film to Superman in the DCU, leaving The Authority in the air. Gunn has previously said no DC film would enter production until a script was finalized, so it sounds like it could be some time until The Authority comes to fruition.
Since The Authority was announced, multiple directors have been rumored for the project, typically those known for R-rated superhero movies. Matthew Vaughn, best known for Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service, was an early rumored pick. Meanwhile, the recent photo Gunn shared with filmmaker Zack Snyder had some fans hoping that he would helm the anti-hero DCU pick. Snyder’s sensibilities certainly seem more at home in the world of The Authority than the heroes of the Justice League. While some fans might be disappointed by the lack of development on The Authority, there will be no shortage of DC films to make up for it.
Source: Variety

Superman

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Director

James Gunn

Producers

Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran