James Gunn Pours Cold Water on a Justice League Rivals Movie

James Gunn just dropped a meaty update on The Authority, the hard-edged, not-exactly-JLA crowd he wants in the DCU. Short version: the project is still alive, but don’t expect a big splashy standalone movie anytime soon. The plan is shifting.

What Gunn actually said (and what it means)

Talking to Deadline, Gunn made it clear he wants to be smarter about which characters headline movies, especially when they aren’t household names. Translation: The Authority will likely be introduced through more mainstream DCU projects (think Superman) or via the TV lane, a la Peacemaker, rather than leading their own film out of the gate.

'I’m probably not going to do certain movies with characters who (audiences) don’t know; it’s harder to get people in the theater for that kind of thing.'

He’s not wrong. It’s a tough sell to get a general audience hyped for a team they’ve never heard of, especially when the DCU is still defining itself.

The winding timeline so far

This has been a long, twisty rollout. The Authority first entered the DCU conversation on January 31, 2023, when Gunn unveiled Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. By December 2023, he told a fan the team hadn’t been cast yet, but a writer was already on the job. Then, on February 24, 2025, he confirmed the project had been delayed.

'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... And also having a lot of characters that we’ve fallen in love with that we’ve already filmed and have that we want to continue their stories and see them meet each other. So I will admittedly say it’s a little bit more on the back burner right now.'

That’s the inside baseball part: making The Authority feel fresh when a bunch of newer hits borrowed their vibe years ago. Since that update, movement has been minimal. The Engineer does show up in Gunn’s Superman, but the full squad hasn’t hit the screen yet. Gunn also told The New Blerd Order that integrating the team’s tone with the broader DCU has been tricky. Not canceled, just complicated.

Why they’re hard to plug into the DCU

This team isn’t the Boy Scouts. They’re an anti-Justice League in attitude, famous for doing whatever it takes and not waiting for permission. That sharper tone is tough to stitch into a shared universe that also has hopeful icons like Superman. On top of that, the DCU’s big-picture story has been shifting, and Gunn already has characters he’s filmed and wants to keep building around. Add in the 'we did it first, but others did it louder' problem thanks to The Boys and you can see why this one sits on the back burner for now.

Who The Authority are (and why fans care)

In the comics, The Authority rose from the ashes of StormWatch. Jenny Sparks, a StormWatch survivor, pulled together a new team with a very different operating system: fewer rules, more results. If you’re new to them, here’s the gist:

• Jenny Sparks: the team’s first leader, can control electricity
• Jack Hawksmoor: bonded to cities, draws power from urban environments and can zip between them
• Swift: wings, flight, enhanced senses, claws
• The Engineer (Angela Spica): liquid metal in her veins; can fly and build tech out of her own body
• The Doctor (Jeroen Thornedike): heavy-duty shamanic magic tied to Earth’s spiritual energy
• Midnighter: pre-cognitive fight brain, plus super strength and speed; plans the fight before it starts
• Apollo: solar-powered heavy hitter with Superman-adjacent abilities

They don’t exactly play nice with governments, and their solutions can be... aggressive. That’s the appeal, and the challenge.

So where does this leave the project?

Still happening. Just not as a headlining movie right now. Expect introductions and crossovers first — likely through Superman or DCU shows — while the big team play waits its turn. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s delayed or dead: delayed. On purpose. And with a strategy behind it.

Personally, I get the caution. If The Authority shows up swinging in the right story, they’ll sell themselves. Let me know how you want them introduced — stealth cameos, a Peacemaker-style series, or a full-on 'oh wow, these people are intense' team drop once the DCU is a little more settled.