My Review of Peacemaker: "Another Rick Up My Sleeve"

 

Written by James Gunn 

Directed by Greg Mottola 

Peacemaker: "Best dimension ever!"

Ah yes, three episodes into Season 2 and Christopher Smith still thinks that the grass is greener on the side. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop with this other world. This wasn't the episode for that. It's coming though.

However in this world, there's another notable difference. Rick Flag Jr (Joel Kinnaman) happened to be very much alive and also in a relationship with Emilia Harcourt. He's also a lot on the bumbling side of things and was very intimidated by Christopher stopping ARGUS to pay a visit to Harcourt.

Speaking of Harcourt, this version's certainly less abrasive than our one but she's also wary of Christopher. Clearly the other version hurt her, leading to their break up and Emilia being with the less threatening Flag Jr, whom she doesn't seem that into. 

I'm ambivalent about the whole Peacemaker/Harcourt pairing but I liked this episode exploring all sides of their mutual attraction to each other. Watching Chris and Emilia 2 working through issues while the Sons of Liberty tried to blow up was actually pretty entertaining.

I can see why Chris is getting more drawn to this world. His chances with Harcourt are less complicated than his own version, he's being hailed a hero and admired by the public and he's got a fantastic relationship with Keith. Keith did show the odd moment of suspicion but genuinely seemed touched by Chris admitting to missing him.

As for our world antics, Economos nearly got away from Sasha Bordeaux and Fleury but instead wound up in a team with Judomaster (Nhut Le) and Eagly's new nemesis, Red St. Wild (Michael Rooker). I kind of have new respect for Economos treating Red with pure contempt. I'm also here for him betraying ARGUS to help Peacemaker and Eagly.

- Opening flashback revealed that in our world Rick Flag Jr was also dating Emilia Harcourt as well as June Moone. That would make both movies canon to this series.

- This is Michael Rooker's third DCU role, following roles in both Creature Commandos and Superman (2025).

- Leota also grilled Emilia about her feelings for Peacemaker in our world while Economos had to quiz Adrian on spiders. He's also a fan of crows.

- Both Rick Flag Sr and Eagly were absent from this episode.

- Standout music: Ozzy Osbourne's Dreamer and Shining's Animal.

- Chronology: Flashback was two hours before the events of The Suicide Squad.

Another Rick Up My Sleeve somewhat gave away the big spoiler of the episode and I kind of wish we had seen a bit more of Rick Flag Jr but it's an enjoyable episode and it had some nice moments. Peacemaker's dealing with the Sons of Liberty in particular was good.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

DCU Blog - August 2025 Edition: Superman Follow Up Confirmed, Project Updates And Clayface Filming

It's been a month since Superman hit theatres and less than a fortnight since the start of Peacemaker. It's been another busy month for DC fans.

As of now, Superman (2025) has made over 611 million at the box office and went to digital on August 15th to purchase.

Both David Zaslav and James Gunn have confirmed that the latter will write and direct the follow up and it could be going into production sooner than expected.

Test screenings for Supergirl (June 26th 2026) have been positive. A trailer likely won't appear for another few months. 

Jeffrey Wright and Colin Farrell have both admitted to seeing the script for The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) recently. Filming will start next year. There's a rumour Zoe Kravitz might not be in this movie.

Max Minghella and Eddie Marsan have joined the cast of Clayface (September 11th 2026). Filming starts tomorrow in the UK.

James Gunn has admitted that things are going well for The Brave And The Bold, Wonder Woman, Paradise Lost and Booster Gold. Waller is still happening, despite moving slower.

The Krypto shorts (the first was released this month) are not canon to the DCU.

Kyle Rayner and Nikki Jones will factor in the upcoming My Adventures With Green Lantern animated series. Jessica Cruz will lead the show.

The second season premiere of Peacemaker (HBO Max) saw a 22% rise in viewers. There's also been hints of big cameos in the final three episodes, which have not been shown to the media.

Cary Christopher, Paula Patton and Laura Linney have been cast in undisclosed roles for the upcoming HBO series, Lanterns.

Other characters teaming up in the upcoming Batman/Deadpool book include John Constantine/Doctor Strange and Harley Quinn/The Hulk to name a few.

James Gunn has confirmed that another TV show that no one knew about will be one of the next things to film.

Margot Robbie has been asked recently about her future as Harley Quinn, last seen in The Suicide Squad. Right now, we're still none the wiser if she'll reprise the role in the DCU.

George Newborn has recently confirmed that Injustice 3 is happening.

A trailer for Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight game was released this month.

Lauren LeFranc has signed a deal with HBO and there's been some talks about a potential second season of The Penguin.

And that's a rundown of the important DC news for this month. I also wrote a blog about a certain topic if you want to read that. 

My Review of Peacemaker: "A Man Is As Only Good As His Bird"

 

Written by James Gunn 

Directed by Greg Mottola

Peacemaker (to Vigilante): "Looking in your own eyes just fucks you up."

And we're into the second episode of this second season. Last time we left things, Peacemaker just killed his other self but that's not the only thing that's bothering him this episode.

However seeing as it was the most important of the opening episode, it did make sense to (badly) resolve it first. That meant getting Adrian to help him go all Dexter Morgan on his other self with the body disposal. I guess being responsible for killing your other self can do a number on you.

On the plus side, there was a chance to do some 11th Street Kids celebrating on the roof of Harcourt's apartment block and that mostly went well. I think Chris trying to get Emilia to open up about her self destructive behaviour was where things went wrong. Trying to contact her other self might also be an unwise idea.

Circling to Economos, he had the task of a flashback which introduced Rick Flag Sr as his boss and in the present day Sadha thought it best for him to be accompanied by handler, Fleury (Tim Meadows). I think the words "loathsome character but great performance" spring to mind.

Throughout the episode,I found myself either annoyed or disgusted by every single thing that came out of Fleury's mouth but Tim Meadows also gave such a great performance. I did laugh when Fleury and his team's attempts to break into Chris's house had Eagly do a lot of damage to that team. 

Other than that, this wasn't an episode to hugely move forward much. There's bitterness between Leota and her estranged wife, Emilia snapped at a sympathetic woman and Adrian yet again showed jealousy over Chris having a sex life. I did like the scene with Leota and John though.

- Fleury has a bird blindness, bragged about having sex with women in Oregon and gave his team politically incorrect code names.

- Some archive footage was used from The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker knows that Flag Sr wants revenge on him.

- The post credit was Fleury bragging more about his sexploits. Economos got "Ginger Cool" as a nickname. Waller got "A Dubs" by Economos.

- Is this show being sponsored by Bud Light? Other beers and alcoholic drinks do exist. 

- Standout music: Foxy Shazam's Evil Thoughts and Hardcore Superstar's We Don't Need A Cure.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off. Flag Sr has also been ARGUS's leader for the last eight months.

I didn't like A Man Is As Only Good As His Bird as much as the opening episode but it was enjoyable enough. Some nice character moments and further proof that Eagly is the most lethal character on the show.

Rating: 7 out of 10 

My Review of Peacemaker: "The Ties That Grind"

 

Written And Directed by James Gunn 

Peacemaker (Other): "Who the fuck are you?"

Peacemaker: "I can explain."

Can you believe it's been a month since Superman (2025) debuted in theatres and now we're on to our third DCU entry in less than a year? Where the hell does the time actually go, huh?

My initial plan for the second season of Peacemaker was to watch the whole season and then do one blog on it like I did with the first season. As you can tell I changed my mind about that one. As for this opening episode, it certainly had a lot to go on.

From the rather brisk way it chose to tackle the DCEU/DCU canon debate, it just swapped out the Justice League for the Justice Gang. Peacemaker aka Christopher Smith (John Cena) wanted to join up but Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) were more interested in making fun of Peacemaker than signing him up as a member of their group.

You'd think saving the world from the Butterflies and exposing Task Force X would've made things better but the exact opposite happened. Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) has become unemployed and dumped by her wife. On the other hand, she did seem happy to be around both Peacemaker and John Economos (Steve Agee) in the few scenes they share together.

Someone arguably having a shitter time though would be Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland). She's been blacklisted from every government job going and she's got a worse dose of toxic masculinity. On the other hand, she got into a rather bloody barfight and there's a lingering "will they/won't they" arc with Peacemaker that I'm indifferent to for now.

Getting back to Peacemaker, he's been messing around his father's portals and attracting the attention of Rick Flag Sr (Frank Grillo) and Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez). More concerning was stepping into a world where Chris inadvertently killed the heroic version of himself after spending time with heroic versions of Auggie (Robert Patrick) and Keith (David Denman) also known as the Top Trio. Safe to say that Christopher fucked up real good this time around.

- The scene with the Justice League last season got replaced in the recap with the Justice Gang, plus Superman and Supergirl. David Corenswet, Milly Alcock and Edi Gathegi didn't physically appear though.

- Maxwell Lord was really rude about White Rabbit (Brey Noelle) and Guy Gardner was a tad biphobic about Peacemaker. Rick Flag Sr has replaced Amanda Waller at ARGUS.

- Peacemaker in the other world did date Harcourt but she's with a "jar head" right about now. Peacemaker in our world hosted an orgy where one male licked his face.

- Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) and Eagly had the least amount to do and the credit scene was an extended diss about a former DCEU actor's band.

- Standout music: Foxy Shazam's Oh Lord made up the new title sequence song. It's gonna take a while to get used to it. 

- Chronology: Six months since the events of the previous season. Events from both Creature Commandos and Superman (2025) are referenced too.

The Ties That Grind certainly got things off to a heck of a start. It's a chaotic opener with a few reflective moments and James Gunn at his most signature if that makes any sense. If you liked the first season, then you'll like this.

Rating: 8 out of 10 

DCU Blog - July 2025 Edition: Superman Soars, Supergirl First Poster, Wonder Woman Movie Fast Tracked

Yes, it's the end of July and with it, some of the most exciting stuff to happen in relation to DC. Oh, it's been a hell of a month.

As of now, Superman (2025) has made over $516 million worldwide at the box office. The movie's an undeniable hit. A digital release has yet to be confirmed.

Naomi Ackie has been cast as the female lead for Clayface (September 11th 2026). Filming will begin in the UK next month. 

Yet again, James Gunn has reaffirmed that Robert Pattinson will not be the DCU Batman. The Batman - Part II will film early next year for it's October 1st 2027 release.

James Gunn has also confirmed that The Brave And The Bold is still happening.

The first poster for Supergirl (2026) was released earlier this month. The movie will be released from June 26th 2026.

Luca Guadagnino has stepped away from Sgt. Rock. James Gunn has said the movie will happen with a new director.

James Gunn has confirmed that he won't be writing the second season of Creature Commandos.

The first in a series of an animated one shots for Krypto is rumoured to be coming out in September.

Ana Nogueira has been confirmed as the writer of the upcoming Wonder Woman movie. She's also still writing the Teen Titans movie, though that's on hold for a bit.

James Gunn and Zack Snyder parodied themselves in a recent episode of Rick And Morty.

Aztec Batman: Clash Of Empires will be released from September 19th.

Mattson Tomlin has hinted that he might be writing for another DC hero in a recent Twitter exchange.

The second season of Peacemaker (August 21st on HBO Max) will feature cameos from past and future DC characters. There's a podcast every Thursday and Monday from James Gunn and guests going over the first season.

Keeping with the awards buzz, The Penguin has been nominated for 24 Emmys.

David Jenkins will write and executive produce the pilot for Booster Gold. Kumail Nanjiani will not be playing the titular role.

Filming for Lanterns has wrapped. It'll air on HBO in the first half of 2026. The show will be John Stewart's story.

That's it for this month but things are certainly hotting up for DC right now.

DCU Blog - May 2025 Edition: Superman Promo Kicks In, Peacemaker Role Revealed and Comics Crossover Alert

This was certainly a month for a lot of DC news. Sadly there's one piece of bad news but the rest was definitely something worth celebrating.

The promotion for Superman (July 11th) has well and truly kicked in. We got a brand new trailer, photoshoots with David Corenswrt and Nicholas Hoult, merchandise reveals and a World Tour coming from June 19th onwards.

Apparently a draft for The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) has been completed. Filming will commence in early 2026.

Lauren LeFranc has recently confirmed that other spin offs beyond The Penguin are currently in development.

Filming for Clayface will start in October with the movie still confirmed for September 11th 2026 theatrical release.

Filming for Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow (June 26th 2026) has now wrapped. Some filming pics did give vague looks at both Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa's respective looks for Supergirl and Lobo.

Bad news is that Luca Guadagnino's Sgt. Rock movie, which would've had Colin Farrell in the title role and Mike Faust in an undisclosed role has been put on hold. It may be picked up for filming next summer.

Some concept art for Dynamic Duo (June 30th 2028) did surface online yesterday. I'd post them but I'd like to not to have my blog striked. 

Keanu Reeves, according to Peter Stormaire isn't happy with the progress of the Constantine sequel script. At this point, just pull the plug on this idea.

A trailer for the second season of Peacemaker (August 21st on HBO Max) has confirmed that Sean Gunn, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced will reprise their roles as Maxwell Lord, Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl in the series. Michael Rooker will play Red St. Wild, who will be an enemy of Eagly.

Colin Farrell and Danny DeVito will be on the upcoming season of Actors on Actors. Their episode will premiere June 2nd on YouTube.

James Gunn did seem to give some encouraging updates on Wonder Woman when asked online. Paradise Lost is still being written.

At least two Teen Titans movies are in development. One for the DCU (though they're to decide who the Robin will be) and the other will be an animated one set in the Teen Titans Go! Universe.

DC/Marvel comic book fans can enjoy a Batman/Deadpool six part crossover event from September. Another crossover event with other characters will release in 2026.

The 2025 DC Pride issue will come out on June 4th. However, this issue will feature an interconnected story focusing on a century old LGBTQ+ tavern in Gotham City. 

Lanterns will premiere on HBO in early 2026, before the release of Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. Filming is still currently active and there's a casting rumour, I'm holding back on but will discuss next month if it's true.

James Gunn has confirmed that the next movie he's writing is something that hasn't been previously announced. World's Finest has been rumoured a lot.

This was definitely a great month for DCU news, minus one particular set back. 

DCU Blog - April 2025 Edition: Superman Dazzles CinemaCon, Supergirl Films And More

Another busy month for DC fans with various news items coming left, right and centre.

Superman (July 11th) certainly made a splash at CinemaCon this month with a behind the scenes feature and merchandise giving a few things away. The movie also escaped a certain lawsuit too.

Paul Ben-Victor has joined the cast of Lanterns in the recurring role of extraterrestrial named Antaan. The pilot episode has finished filming. Chris Coy has also joined the show.

Garrett Dillahunt however will not be playing Green Arrow. There was an Instagram post he made that people got the wrong end of the stick with.

DC Comics Pride 2025 will be released from June 4th. Characters such as Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Alan Scott, Bunker, Midnighter etc to name a few. A boxset containing the previous volumes will be released on May 27th.

Filming is half way through on Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow (June 26th 2026). Some filming has kind of leaked Milly Alcock and Jason Momoa's respective looks as Supergirl and Lobo.

Robert Pattinson has joined the cast of Dune: Messiah, which will likely impact as to when The Batman - Part II (October 1st 2027) will begin filming.

An untitled DC movie is scheduled for March 5th 2027. If I were to guess, I'm betting it'll be Sgt. Rock.

A recent HBO trailer has shown clips for the second season of Peacemaker. The new season will be released on Max from August 21st.

Get Jiro!, an animated adult series based on the DC/Vertigo title will premiere on Adult Swim. 

Adria Arjona has recently commented on the prospect of being cast as Wonder Woman. She's previously worked with James Gunn in The Belko Experiment.

The second season of The Sandman will be released in two parts on Netflix. Episodes 1-6 from July 3rd and episodes 7-11 from July 24th.

Sadly this month, no further updates on Waller, The Brave And The Bold, Clayface and Sgt. Rock. The latter two will film in the second half of the year.

ITVX have recently added both Doom Patrol and Black Lightning to their streaming service.

A busy month for DC fans with the Summer of Superman on the horizon. Fun time ahead.

DCU Blog - November 2024 Edition: Sgt. Rock Cast, Superman Trailer Maybe And More

As we hurtle towards the end of 2024, the DC news keeps a coming, especially with the DCU less than a week away from starting up.

Daniel Craig will reunite with Luca Guadagnino and writer Justin Kuritzkes for Sgt. Rock, playing the titular character. Filming will start in the second half of 2025.

Joker: Folie A Deux has made a total of $206.4 million at the box office. It'll get a physical release from December 17th.

Eve Ridley will play Ruthye Marye Knoll in Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. Filming will begin in the UK from January 2025.

The Teen Titans movie is rumoured to be using the roster from the cartoon but that's a current rumour and they haven't decided on the Robin for it.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will make its debut on HBO and Max from December 7th.

Are we getting a trailer for Superman (2025) in December? The trades/scoopers seem convinced we are and James Gunn hasn't debunked it either. A trailer has been prepared for the occasion.

James Gunn has also mentioned that Superman (2025) will have a serious tone in recent interviews. 

Garrett Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan will play William Macon and Zoe for the upcoming Lanterns HBO series, joining series regulars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre and Kelly McDonald. Filming will begin in California in January 2025.

The previously announced Bane and Deathstroke movie will not be a Secret Six movie but will feature other villains, assuming it gets made.

There's a rumour of a potential animated movie trilogy for the classic Batman comic, Knightfall.

Alan Tudyk will voice Dr Phospherus, Clayface and Will Magnus for Creature Commandos. Not to mention that undisclosed role for Superman (2025). Released on Max weekly from December 5th.

Circe will have a large role in the DCU moving forward with Anya Chalotra reprising the role in live action for future projects. That won't be the same for other voice actors.

The Clayface movie rumours with Mike Flanagan writing but not directing have popped up again. It'll be a younger actor for the role if the movie goes ahead. Rumours for a 2025 filming.

The Authority may end up being an animated movie if it ever gets made. I have my doubts on it ever happening.

The Batman - Part II will film in the second half of 2025, likely later summer. The script had yet to be handed in. 

Peacemaker Season 2 has finished filming after seven months. Frank Grillo also revealed a lot about his Rick Flag Sr arc for that show in recent interviews. Brandon Stanley was also cast in an undisclosed role.

The series finale of Superman And Lois airs December 2nd on the CW. It marks the end of an era for DC on the CW.

The Penguin will get a physical release from March 2025. The miniseries recently finished up on HBO.

Tatiana Siegel will be writing a book about the history of the DC franchise. That's gonna be quite a page turner.

James Gunn and Peter Safran won't be attending CCXP in December. 

That's it for this month. Now let's what the final month of 2024 brings for DC Universe.

DCU Blog - June 2024 Edition: Superman Filming Reveals, Blue Beetle Goes Animated And Much More

Yes, it's been a very busy month for DC fans and there's a lot to cover, so let's get right into it, yeah?

First of all, outdoor filming in Cleveland revealed many things about Superman (2025). A better look at David Corenswet as the title character for starters as well as several cast members in downtown Metropolis.

It was also revealed that Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover and Christopher McDonald had been cast as Steve Lombard, Cat Grant and Ron Troupe respectively.

It also revealed that Frank Grillo will appear as Rick Flag Sr in the movie, working alongside The Engineer and an unidentified actor playing a black suited character. Speculation for said character has ranged from Bizarro, Ultraman and Ulysses. 

A wider release for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will happen from September 25th.

A writing team for the Booster Gold series has been rumoured to have the showrunners of HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. This has not been confirmed or denied as of yet by James Gunn.

The Penguin will premiere on both Max and SkyAtlantic from September as Oswald finds himself going up against several crime families in order to take control of Gotham.

Filming for The Batman Part II will commence in early 2025, according to Andy Serkis. The movie will be released from October 2nd 2026.

Hamish Linklater will voice Batman in Batman: Caped Crusader, which will be released on Amazon from August 1st.

Deadline have confirmed that Andy Muschietti is still attached to direct The Brave And The Bold. 

The fifth season of Harley Quinn will be released on Max in late 2024.

Xolo Mariduena will reprise his DCU role in an animated series for Blue Beetle. The series will be headed up by Miguel Puga, Cristian Martinez, Angel Manuel-Soto, Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer and John Rickard.

Creature Commandos will premiere on Max from December. 

The upcoming Lanterns show will now premiere on HBO instead of Max and casting will have an older Hal Jordan paired with a younger John Stewart. It'll have eight episodes.

Kite Man: Hell Yeah! will premiere on Max from July 18th. 

Recent reveals from a Wonder Woman game had Circe as a main villain along with Cheetah and Medusa in prominent roles.

The first three episodes of Suicide Squad Isekai were released on Max and Hulu from June 27th. The anime series will have ten episodes overall.

My Adventures With Superman has been renewed for a third season. 

Superman And Lois fourth and final season will premiere on the CW with a double bill from October 17th.

Sol Rodriguez and Tim Meadows have been cast as Sasha Bordeaux and A.R.G.U.S. agent Langston Fleury for the second season of Peacemaker. David Denman has also been cast in an undisclosed role.

Chris Pratt has recently hinted about joining the DCU. Whether or not, he does remains to be seen.

Yep, another busy month for DC fans. This time next month, yeah? Let's see if SDCC gives us something good.

DCU Blog - April 2024 Edition: Supergirl Finds Director, Kents Casting, Peacemaker Season 2 Films And More

Another busy month in regards to all things DC. A round up of various news items.

Joker: Folie A Deux finally premiered its first trailer, showcasing Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga as Joker and Harley Quinn respectively. 

Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell have been confirmed as Jonathan and Martha Kent for Superman. Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will be the main villain of the movie.

Nathan Fillion has recently talked lovingly about how his Guy Gardner will be a flawed character for Superman. 

As of now, the scripts for both Waller and Lanterns are yet to be completed, despite scoopers implying otherwise.

Craig Gillespie has been tapped to direct Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, starring Milly Alcock.

The documentary/movie Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will hit theatres in September.

2025 will be the Summer Of Superman as James Gunn and Peter Safean revealed at Cinema on this month.

Creature Commandos is still in post production but will premiere on Max during the autumn.

Season 2 of Peacemaker officially went into production with James Gunn directing. Four other directors will also be helming the upcoming season.

AdultSwim recently showed a preview for the second season of My Adventures With Superman. It'll air from May 25th. 

Both Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix), which got 3.1 millìon views during it's first four days and Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two (Physical/Digital) are currently available to watch.

Clive Russell, Jacqueline Boatswain, Segun Fawole and Michael Lyle have been cast in undisclosed roles for the second season of The Sandman.

The final season of Superman And Lois has wrapped filming and will air during the autumn on the CW. BBC1 are currently airing the penultimate season in double bills on Sunday afternoons.

The Flash TV series that starred John Wesley Shipp will get a Blu-Ray release from June 14th.

The third and final season of Sweet Tooth will be released on Netflix from June 6th.

DC Pride 2024 will be released from May 28th. 

That's it for this month. Let's see what next month will bring for DC.

DCU Blog - September 2023 Edition: DC Studios Update, Aquaman Sequel Trailer and DCU Returnees

With the writers strike officially resolved and the actors strike about to be as well, you can expect more developments for the future of DC as we head towards the final quarter of the year. For now, here's the latest news.

After months of waiting, we finally got our first trailer for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom and it's still keeping its December 20th release date.

Some recent toys revealed a new character called King Kordax while Willem Dafoe will not be returning for the sequel.

Superman: Legacy should begin filming next Spring, once the SAG strike has been resolved.

Blue Beetle has grossed over $125 million worldwide and went to digital early this week.

James Gunn has confirmed yet again that Xolo Mariduena, Viola Davis, John Cena and Freddie Stroma will be returning for the DCU.

DC Studios will be expanding it's production hub in the UK for many of its future productions.

Creature Commandos will be released in 2024 and is officially the first project from the DCU.

The second half of the final season of Doom Patrol will begin streaming from October 12th on Max.

Fans will be able to buy the first season of The Sandman on DVD from November.

Batman is unlikely to appear in the second season of My Adventures With Superman. 

All three seasons of Pennyworth, including a complete series box set is now available to buy.

Colman Domingo and Hasan Minhaj will voice Batman and The Riddler respectively in the upcoming Spotify limited series, The Riddler: Secrets In The Dark.

Superman And Lois fourth season will now likely not air until next summer. 

Gail Simone revealed recently that she had a pitch meeting for a Harley Quinn solo movie.

Matthew Vaughn apparently is committed to an upcoming DCU project. 

That's your lot for this month. Let's see what the final quarter of the year will bring for the DCU.

DCU Blog - January 2023 Edition: DCU Chapter One Slate Announced And So Much More

James Gunn really did decide to wait until the last month to reveal part of his DCU Slate and boy, did he deliver in a six minute video to social media and press.

Chapter One titled, Gods And Monsters gave us quite a bit to mull over as well. Breaking it down, here we go ....

First of all of, Batman and Superman fans are getting fed yet again. The Batman - Part II will be released on October 3rd 2025 and will be part of DC's Elseworlds while The Brave And The Bold (older Batman with Damien Wayne as Robin) will be part of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU.

James Gunn has confirmed that Superman: Legacy will release on July 11th 2025 as well as Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow. It has yet to be confirmed if Sasha Calle will reprise her role for the movie.

Also getting movies are The Authority and Swamp Thing with release dates to be confirmed for both projects.

The Flash will reboot the universe but actors such as Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Zachary Levi may still factor into this new universe. Speaking of Wonder Woman though.

HBO Max will be going all in on several shows. Paradise Lost: Wonder Woman will be a prequel series set on Themyscira in the vein of Game Of Thrones.

Lanterns will be a True Detective style space cop series focusing mainly on Hal Jordan and John Stewart with other Lanterns set to appear. Booster Gold will also be getting a series.

Viola Davis Waller series will also use characters from Peacemaker as the show was confirmed to be going ahead.

An animated series titled, Creature Commandos, written by James Gunn will also go ahead too with some of the characters eventually making it into live action projects.

Talent who will be working with James Gunn and Peter Safran include Christina Hodson, Jeremy Slater, Drew Goddard, Cristal Henry and Tom King to name a few.

Gunn and Safran also had a meeting with former Batgirl directors Adi' El Arbi and Bilall Fallah for a potential DC project.

Meanwhile in expected news, both Titans and Doom Patrol will end with their remaining episodes due to be released on HBO Max in the new few months.

Superman And Lois has at least one or two seasons left. Michael Culditz has been cast as Lex Luthor for the upcoming third season, airing March 14th on the CW.

Stephen Amell, Keiynan Lonsdale, David Ramsey and Sendhil Ramamurthy will be reprising their respective roles in the final season of The Flash, starting February 8th on the CW.

Sunny Mabel and Ethan Embry have been cast as the parents of Stephanie Brown for the Gotham Knights show, airing March 14th on the CW.

The Penguin series begins production in February in New York and will set up The Batman - Part II while Marsha Stephanie Blake has been cast in an undisclosed role.

Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine's Day Special will premiere on HBO Max from February 9th.

Wow, that was a doozy to get through. What a way to kick off the first month of 2023. Looks like DC has one hell of a future ahead of it.

DCEU Blog - DC Studios Logo Revealed Along With Superman's Fate And So Much More

Well, this has certainly been an eventful year for DC and this last month alone really ramped up the chaos even more. What a way to end 2022 for DC.

Let's kick off things lightly with the reveal of the DC Studios logo. Notice the characters on it. Needless to say, they're going to be the main focus moving forward with DC.

Speaking of the Trinity, let's break some stuff down for a bit. For now, both James Gunn and Matt Reeves have confirmed The Batman will remain in it's own universe. Assuming this remains true, then they're going to have two live action versions of the Dark Knight on the big screen.

Patty Jenkins third Wonder Woman movie will not go ahead but the Amazonian remains a priority for DC and Gal Gadot's fate has to be confirmed beyond her cameo appearances in both Shazam! Fury Of The Gods and The Flash.

As for Superman, it appears that James Gunn has written a script for the next movie, focusing on a younger version of the character and while it won't be an origin story, it does mean one thing.

Henry Cavill is officially out as Superman after filming cameos for both Black Adam and The Flash, with rumours that his scenes from the latter have been removed.  

The Flash meanwhile will now get released on June 16th, moving up a week from it's previous release date.

Blue Beetle had a nice poster released at CCXP as well as a tagline talking about the movie being the beginning of things. 

Black Adam managed 1.2 million during it's first weekend on HBO Max but Dwayne Johnson has confirmed that he will not be coming back as part of James Gunn's future DC plans.

Joker: Folie A Deux began filming this month but fans of Lady Gaga will have to wait until next year for her to start working on the sequel.

Both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton's Batman scenes have been removed from Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom. Yup, they're both gone for good after The Flash movie.

James Gunn has admitted that he will be revealing some upcoming projects next month while Zachary Levi publicly appealed to fans to trust both James Gunn and Peter Safran in an Instagram live last week.

The script for The Batman is now officially available online to read. Here's hoping we get some sequel news next year.

Nicole Maines will reprise her role as Nia Nal/Dreamer in the ninth season of The Flash, due to air on the CW from February 8th 2023.

The CW will also air upcoming seasons of both Superman And Lois and Gotham Knights from March 14th 2023.

The fourth season of Harley Quinn will stream on HBO Max in 2023 with a Valentine's Day special due for release in February.

Both The Penguin and the second season of Peacemaker will film in 2023 for HBO Max while James Gunn has confirmed that the Green Lantern series will still go ahead. 

Well, this month was a chaotic ending to what has been a very chaotic year for DC in general. Imagine what 2023 will be like when James Gunn's vision for the DCU will be unveiled? Expect a lot of fireworks. 

My Review of Peacemaker - Season 1 (2022)

 

Written by James Gunn

Directed by James Gunn (eps 1-3, 6 and 8), Jody Hill (ep 4), Rosemary Rodriguez (ep 5) and Brad Anderson (ep 7)

Peacemaker: "Eat peace, motherfucker!"

Following the title character's abrasive introduction in The Suicide Squad and the somewhat antagonistic role he had in that film, I'd be lying if I said that I was eagerly anticipating his HBO Max series but over the course of eight episodes, I soon became a convert to both the idea of this show and it's less character.

Last time Peacemaker (John Cena) was seen, he was in a coma, courtesy of Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and as punishment for disobeying her, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) put him in the care of Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) and John Economos (Steve Agee) in order to either help save the world to make him into a future patsy. The show does present both options for Christopher Smith upon waking from his coma.

Saddled with a team also comprising happy go lucky psychopath, Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), first team leader Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) and new recruit, Leota  Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), the latter revealed to be Waller's daughter very early on, Peacemaker finds himself going up against the Butterflies as they have their own plans for humanity that are not as black and white as their first appear to be.

For a group of antagonists, they're an interesting bunch, able to possess humans, which we see them do with various characters such as Detective Sophie Song (Annie Chang), who became a host body for their leader Goff. Murn himself was later to be revealed as a rogue member of the race, opposed to their plan and overall as a character got a rather nice character arc, even if he didn't quite make it to the finale.

The main characters definitely have some strong arc and there's none stronger than the title character himself. We see Christopher Smith openly question his militant stance for peace while his relationship with his racist father, Auggie Smith/White Dragon (Robert Patrick) undoubtedly motivated a lot of his behaviour. Ultimately while Peacemaker can be set in his ways as a person, his experiences throughout this first season alone start to shape him into being a better person, so there might be hope for him yet.

Then there's Leota herself, who for the most part tried to see the good in Peacemaker and formed a rather believable friendship with him while struggling to get out of her mother's shadow and maintain her marriage to her wife, Keeya (Elizabeth Ludlow). She's easily one of the best characters on the show and also the one who truly brought about the downfall of both the Butterflies and Task Force X.

As for Emilia Harcourt, she started the season being openly hostile to everyone, only to truly step up as a leader by the finale. Vigilante and Economos aren't quite as developed as the others but both characters do have their moments and the more said about Peacemaker's pet eagle, Eagly, the better. As for Judomaster (Nhut Le), there's potential with the character and hopefully the second season will explore that as he's likely to encounter the gang yet again.

- The episodes are A Whole New Whirled, Best Friends For Never, Better Goff Dead, The Choad Less Traveled, Monkey Dory, Murn After Reading, Stop Dragon My Heart Around and It's Cow Or Never.

- The Justice League were referenced several times and in the finale we got to see to both Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Flash (Ezra Miller) with body doubles standing in for Superman and Wonder Woman.

- The penultimate episode implied that Peacemaker himself  was bisexual, which genuinely surprised me. We can thank John Cena for that development.

-  Like with many shows, this one had flashbacks of Christopher's childhood and accidental killing of his brother, Keith.

- The title sequence might be one of the best ones seen in a DC production with Wig Wam's Do You Wanna Taste It being a catchy theme tune for the series.

- Chronology: Five months following the events of The Suicide Squad. 

Peacemaker's first season was something that I had very moderate expectations about and it was a show that turned out to be far better than expected. James Gunn had his fans with The Suicide Squad but this for me was even better. A true testament in giving a character a second chance with fantastic results. I will definitely watching the second season. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

DCEU Blog - Batgirl Major Spoilers, Arrowverse Future Series And More

Yeah, this blog might as well be a special focusing on a certain movie, but I promise, other DC stuff has happened too. Here we go.

Earlier this month, Leslie Grace used her social media accounts to unveil her costume for Batgirl (currently filming in Glasgow). Very inspired by the Batgirl: Year One comics.

Keeping with this movie, Ivory Aquino was cast as Barbara's best friend, Alysia Yeoh, marking the first trans character to appear in the DCEU.

Other casting revealed for the movie included Ethan Kai (rumoured to be a love interest for Barbara), Rebecca Front and Corey Johnson. JK Simmons also started filming at the end of the month.

Michael Keaton will film his scenes as Batman/Bruce Wayne next month and there's rumours we will also be seeing Dick Grayson in the movie with casting due to be announced soon. The movie is due for a HBO Max release later this year.

Luke J. Roberts and Olivia Grant have been revealed as the actors playing Thomas and Martha Wayne for The Batman. Their characters will be seen in flashbacks. Gil Perez-Abraham is seemingly Stanley Merkel while Barry Keoghan might be playing a much bigger character.

The Batman will be 175 minutes long with tickets going on sale from February 10th. Spoilers are going to be a challenge to avoid until March 4th.

Looks like the Joker sequel might go into production around 2023 with both Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips slated to return.

Gal Gadot has also confirmed that the third Wonder Woman will not film until early to mid 2023.

Peacemaker not only seems to be likely to get a second season on HBO Max but James Gunn has admitted that another spin-off from The Suicide Squad could be happening too. I'll be doing a series review after the release of the finale.

A three part tie in comic for The Flash movie, titled The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive will be released from April to July and will be written by Kenny Porter with art by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz.

Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom has now completed filming while Shazam! Fury Of The Gods has had another test screening.

Blue Beetle will begin filming in April for an August 18th 2023 theatrical release. Expect a lot of casting news over the next few weeks.

David Ramsey's John Diggle may leading his own CW series as the network has ordered a pilot for Justice U, in which Diggle would be recruiting and training up young heroes.

Grant Gustin has apparently signed a deal for a ninth season of The Flash, which will be 15 episodes and will see Gustin earn $200,000 per episode.

Filming for both Titans and Doom Patrol's upcoming seasons will begin next month. 

HBO Max now have the first two seasons of Pennyworth available to stream. The third season has completed filming and will be released later in the year.

That's everything for this month. Next month, I could be covering some major casting reveals as well as some show renewals too.

DCEU Blog - Batgirl Adds Keaton's Batman, Blue Beetle Goes To Cinemas And Much More

It's certain been an interesting and rather busy December for DC. Upcoming projects are in full swing as we close the year with some interesting reveals. Here we go.

Michael Keaton will not only reprise his role as Batman for The Flash movie but he will also reprise the role for Leslie Grace's Batgirl movie for HBO Max, which has now begun filming.

The Flash will also see the returns of both Michael Shannon and Antje Traue reprising their roles as Zod and Faora.

An animated Crisis On Infinite Earths movie has been rumoured for a future release.

The WB released a final trailer for The Batman while Empire magazine has released several new photos and details about the movie. We're so close to it now.

Peacemaker will release it's first three episodes on HBO Max from January 13th with the remaining episodes being weekly releases. A UK broadcaster hasn't been confirmed yet though it's likely it'll go to Sky.

Both Amy Jo Johnson and Elizabeth Henstridge have directed recent episodes of Superman And Lois. The second season premieres on the CW from January 11th.

Jennifer Holland's Emilia Harcourt will appear in Black Adam. Henry Winkler is also rumoured to be playing the original version of Atom Smasher (Al Pratt).

Gal Gadot has been rumoured to be appearing in Shazam! Fury Of The Gods as Wonder Woman. This hasn't been officially confirmed, so take with a pinch of salt for now.

Legends Of Tomorrow and Batwoman's current seasons will air their finales on March 2nd. Both shows return to the CW from January 12th.

Blue Beetle will now be a theatrical release and is heading into cinemas from August 18th 2023. Filming begins in early 2022.

The CW are in early stages of developing a Gotham Knights series, but although it'll be from the writers and producers of Batwoman, it'll be set in a different continuity.

The Metal Men will now be an animated movie, instead of a live action one.

And that's it for DC News in 2021. How you enjoyed it and here's to seeing what will be on the horizon during 2022.