DCU Film 'The Authority' Delayed Amid Challenges in Modern Superhero Landscape

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 spotlight the notoriously brutal superhero team from the WildStorm Universe. Gunn initially described the film as a "big movie," but it has since encountered significant hurdles.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn revealed that *The Authority* is the most challenging project within the Chapter 1 slate. He cited the influence of Amazon's hit series *The Boys* as a complicating factor. "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, he mentioned the desire to continue the stories of characters already filmed and introduce their interactions, which adds to the complexity of the project.

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Interestingly, one character from *The Authority*, the electronics prodigy The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickoff project, *Superman*. The Engineer is a standout member of the team, boasting abilities such as self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy. For a deeper dive into the team, 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 issues. Gunn mentioned that *Waller*, a spinoff of his successful HBO Max series *Peacemaker*, has experienced "a couple of setbacks." On a more positive note, the HBO Max series *Booster Gold* "is going pretty strong," and *Paradise Lost* remains a priority. "It's totally, still important and we're working heavily on it," Gunn affirmed, with Safran adding that the pilot is currently being written.

Regarding *Swamp Thing*, Safran noted that DC Studios is willing to wait for acclaimed director James Mangold, who is currently working on another film, *A Complete Unknown*, before he returns to direct *Swamp Thing*. "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. Gunn added that *Swamp Thing* is not central to the overarching narrative of the DCU. "Right. Yeah, it was always outside of that," Gunn said. "I mean, it was because James came to us with it, frankly."