There's a lot of intrigue surrounding James Gunn's Superman "follow-up," especially as it's part of a "Superman Saga" set to span at least four movies. For some reason, the filmmaker has declined to reveal what the movie is, but insists it's not a straightforward Superman sequel.
Talking to Deadline, Gunn confirmed that he's "done" with the movie's treatment. This lines up with comments yesterday that suggested the DC Studios co-CEO is targeting a 2027 release for his next DCU blockbuster.
"That treatment is done. I'm now into the screenwriting phase. I'm really happy with it," Gunn shared. "We're already prepping and figuring out where we're shooting. That will not be too long."
Pushed for story details, he added, "It's within the group of characters we've already met, and Superman is an important element of it."
Superman's box office run is winding down (it will finish its run with over $600 million worldwide), and Gunn's attentions have shifted to Peacemaker season 2. The show premieres on HBO Max this evening and will follow John Cena's Christopher Smith as he explores an alternate reality where his doppelgänger has the life he's always wanted.
However, Gunn's plans for Peacemaker once looked very different, as it was more a direct continuation of where we left things with the former Task Force X member at the end of season 1.
"The first time I wrote a rough outline of season 2, it had to do with other white supremacist superheroes who were after Peacemaker for killing his father because he was their comrade," he explained. "For me, it played a little bit too much like season one and I wanted to turn the story on its heels."
"I wanted Peacemaker to be this character who had to really deal with the ramifications of his actions in season one, and deal with his emotional reality of the demons that he discovered in season one and how does he face that. That seemed to work much better for that."
As for what the show looks like now, Gunn added, "Peacemaker sees this reality that’s like his, but better in seemingly every way, so how does he deal with that from an emotional standpoint and face the ghosts from his past that he loved and killed? It seemed potent especially when mixed with the love story."
Many fans expected Peacemaker season 2's Multiversal storyline to bring the anti-hero from the DCU into the DCEU. The filmmaker decided against heading down that route, choosing instead to make it so that these characters simply exist in the DCU.
Superman is still playing in theaters and is available on Digital. Peacemaker season 2 premieres on HBO Max this evening.