DC Universe (franchise)
| Goodwin's DC Universe | |
|---|---|
 DC Comics logo, used since 2016 | |
| Created by | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Discovery |
The Goodwin's DC Universe (GDCU) is an upcoming American media franchise and shared universe based on characters from DC Comics publications. It was created by Freddie Goodwin. The franchise is a expansion of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). In contrast with the previous state of DC Comics adaptations, the DCU features a united continuity and story across live-action films and television. Concurrent DC adaptations that do not fit within this continuity are labeled "DC Elseworlds".
After Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia merged to become Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), CEO David Zaslav revealed a plan to revitalize the DC brand following the poor reception of most DCEU films. Goodwin, Gunn, and Safran were hired to lead the newly formed DC Studios in November 2022. The trio spent several months with a group of writers developing the overarching story for a new DC continuity, which features a combination of popular and obscure DC characters.
Development[edit | edit source]
Part One[edit | edit source]
In December 2015, Goodwin was in talks with DC Studios to create a universe of his own based on DC Comics. On January 31, Goodwin unvieled the first projects from the DCU slate. They revealed some of the projects regarding the first "Part" titled Part One, and stated that the films were all part of a broader timeline with a plan of being split into Parts One, Two, and Three, all to create a complete Trilogy of stories. By June 2016, Goodwin had already planned six Parts to include in the first "Trilogy" of storytelling. On January 31, 2017, Goodwin announced that the production is a "very slow and hard process", and confirmed the films would start releasing in 2020. In June 2017, he announced the first two films of Part One. The first film, Flashpoint Paradox, will be set in the current and ongoing DCEU (but not part of its main timeline) and will "reset" it into what the DCU will be. The second film, Worlds of Wonder, which would be the true beginning of the DCU.
In November 2017, he announced the remaining four films part of Part One being The Atlantis Chronicles, which introduces Aquaman to the DCU and will have Jason Momoa reprise his role. Goodwin confirmed the film would release on June 19, 2026. He also confirmed that Flashpoint Paradox would release on July 15, 2025 and Worlds of Wonder would release on December 10, 2025. The fourth film of Part One was announced to be titled Knightfull, which Goodwin stated the film would introduce the Batman of this universe, and stated the actor won't be someone who had previously portrayed the character in other media. Goodwin announced a Green Lantern project titled Emerald Infinite, which is planned to be released in November 2026. Goodwin confirmed the film would tie directly into Flashpoint Paradox and is the villain of the film is a result from Flashpoint. Lastly, Goodwin announced that Part One would conclude with League of Realities, a film that has all heroes join up and meet and form a superhero team known as the Justice League.
In March 2018, Goodwin announced that the films were on track to begin releasing in 2020 due to production going smoothly. However, filming for the first three films had been stopped by Warner Bros. due to copyright issues and stopped production until they sort it out. In December 2019, the production returned to normal. However, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic that forced all productions to shut down from March 2020, Goodwin pubically announced a indefinite delay of all films that have been announced. In May 2020, during the lockdowns from COVID-19, Goodwin pubically confirmed he will announce some Part Two films in July 2020.
That July, Goodwin held a virtrual event across multiple social network platforms and announced three of the six films of Part Two. The Flash: Mirror of Madness was announced and confirmed to be coming in March 2028, and is a sequel to Flashpoint Paradox. Goodwin confirmed that the film would be all about the aftermath of changing the timeline and how the characters deal with that. He then announced Amazonian War, a Wonder Woman film with Gal Gadot reprising her role as Wonder Woman from the first Wonder Wondom DCU film and is planned to release in August 2028. The Phantom Zone was confirmed to be coming in 2029 and be a Superman and Supergirl focused film. Goodwin continued and stated the first three films of Part Two will be "aftermath events" of Part One, and the other three films will be important to setting up Part Three and the conclusion to the "Multiverse Odyssey Trilogy".
Originally planning to go right into filming the first two films back-to-back to begin releasing content in 2022, Goodwin decided to delay films until 2025 so that all the films were made properly and weren't rushed. Production officially restarted in February 2022, with Goodwin beginning filming Flashpoint Paradox by April 2023 which concluded that June, shortly before Worlds of Wonder which began filming in July 2023 and concluded in December 2023. Filming for The Atlantis Chronicles began in April 2024 and concluded in August 2024.
During a interview in Setember 2024, Goodwin announced he plans to make sure posters and marketing pieces are made after the film is done filming to focus entirely on making the film before they make the required things to market the film.
Films[edit | edit source]
The Multiverse Odyssey Trilogy[edit | edit source]
The first three parts are collectively known as "The Multiverse Odyssey Trilogy". In "The Multiverse Odyssey Trilogy," heroes from across the DC Universe are drawn into an epic saga that transcends the boundaries of their own realities. They discover the existence of the Multiverse, revealing new allies, formidable foes, and the untapped power of the Speed Force. As the fabric of reality begins to fray, each hero embarks on a personal journey that tests their strength, beliefs, and the very essence of heroism. United by a common threat that seeks to unravel the Multiverse, they must forge new alliances and confront their darkest challenges.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part One | |||||
| Flashpoint Paradox | July 15, 2025 | Finnian Hawke | Homer Gutierrez & Freddie Goodwin | Freddie Goodwin | Released |
| Worlds of Wonder | December 10, 2025 | TBA | TBA | Post-production | |
| The Atlantis Chronicles | June 19, 2026 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Knightfall | November 12, 2026 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Emerald Infinite | April 22, 2027 | TBA | TBA | In-development | |
| League of Realities | October 26, 2027 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Part Two | |||||
| The Flash: Mirror of Madness | March 2028 | TBA | TBA | Freddie Goodwin | In-development |
| Amazonian War | August 2028 | TBA | TBA | ||
| The Phantom Zone | January 2029 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Shadows Over Gotham | July 2029 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Sinestro's Corps | December 2029 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Titans of Time | June 2030 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Part Three | |||||
| Aquaman: Tides of Time | November 2030 | TBA | TBA | Freddie Goodwin | In-development |
| Wonder Woman: Themyscira's Secret | March 2031 | TBA | TBA | ||
| The Flash: Speed Force Nexus | July 2031 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Green Lantern: Light of the Multiverse | December 2031 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Crisis on Earth-One | June 2032 | TBA | TBA | ||
| Justice League: A New Dawn | November 2032 | TBA | TBA | ||
Television series[edit | edit source]
DC Elseworlds[edit | edit source]
When announcing the first projects for the DCU in January 2023, Gunn said any project that did not fit into the DCU's shared universe would be labeled as "DC Elseworlds" moving forward. This is the same as how DC Comics uses the Elseworlds imprint to mark comic books that are separate from the main continuity. Safran said there was a high bar that non-DCU projects would have to meet to be greenlit.