DCU Film The Authority Delayed: Gunn Cites Challenges with The Boys' Influence

It seems that the DCU movie The Authority is facing significant challenges, as confirmed by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn. Announced as part of the ambitious Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC Universe reboot two years ago, The Authority was intended to bring the brutal superhero team from the WildStorm Universe to the big screen. Gunn initially described the project as a "big movie," but recent developments suggest it has encountered substantial hurdles.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn revealed that The Authority is the "hardest" project among those announced for Chapter 1. He cited Amazon's successful adaptation of The Boys as a contributing factor to the difficulties, along with the need to integrate the project into a shifting overall story. Gunn emphasized the challenge of getting it right in a landscape influenced by The Boys and other works that The Authority has inspired.

"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 admitted.

He also mentioned the desire to continue the stories of beloved characters already filmed and to see them interact with each other, which has pushed The Authority to the "back burner."

DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

38 ImagesOne character from The Authority, The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickstarter movie Superman. Known for her exceptional powers, including self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy, The Engineer is a pivotal member of the team. For a deeper dive into the characters, check out IGN's article, "Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained."

The Authority isn't the only project facing challenges within Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. Gunn noted that Waller, a spinoff of his 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 is "totally, still important and we're working heavily on it," according to Gunn. "It seems to be going pretty well," he added, with Peter Safran confirming that the pilot is currently being written.

As for Swamp Thing, Safran mentioned that DC Studios is willing to wait for director James Mangold, who is currently working on A Complete Unknown, to be ready to helm the project. "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 said. Gunn added that Swamp Thing is "not integral to the larger story that we're telling," emphasizing its standalone nature.