What's Next for James Gunn's DCU? He Already Has a Perfect Poison Ivy Actress to Consider

Summary

• James Gunn's Superman movie has been the talk of the town since late 2022.
• Poison Ivy could make an appearance in many of the future DCU projects currently in development.
• The director has already worked with an actress who would be perfect to play the character.

James Gunn became the CEO of DC Studios in late 2022 and almost immediately announced a plan to reboot the DC cinematic universe, starting with a Superman film focusing on the fan-favorite character's early years. The film, titled Superman: Legacy, became the studio's top priority, but production stalled due to the 2023 strikes, leaving the project's fate in limbo.

Before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, however, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were announced as the likely actors to play the young Superman and Lois Lane, respectively. Since then, many other A-list actors such as Nicholas Hoult and Nathan Fillion have been added to the cast.

Recently, there has been more news about Gunn's cherished film. First, Wendell Pierce of The Wire and Suits fame has been cast as Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet and the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Then the title of the movie was reduced to just Superman. Most importantly, the film began shooting on February 29th, so it looks like it will be finished just in time for its July 11th, 2025 premiere. But what could come next for the revamped DCU?

Complete Creative Freedom

Currently, James Gunn's DC Studios has at least five other films in development, including The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing and an untitled Teen Titans movie. In addition to the big screen, the DCU is also home to a number of television shows, including Creature Commandos, Peacemaker Season 2, and its spin-off Waller.

Beyond the general premise, little is known about the productions, so there's always room to surprise us with something – like introducing a character we weren't expecting. In that sense, fan-favorite Poison Ivy could be a great choice. Besides, James Gunn knows the perfect actress to play the character.

A Collision of Cinematic Universes

Before taking on the role of DC's CEO, James Gunn created a super popular Marvel franchise – Guardians of the Galaxy, where he managed to work with a number of remarkable actors. One of them, Karen Gillan, who portrayed Nebula, is an obvious choice for Poison Ivy. Naturally, the actress is often asked if she would like to play the beloved DC villain. Fortunately, she's all in.

'The fact that Nebula turned into ten years of work is the greatest thing that's happened to me. So I like to leave things up to the universe a little bit and see what happens, but I would absolutely love to work with James again. He's the best,' Karen Gillan shared in a recent interview.

Hopefully, there will be room for Karen Gillan in James Gunn's DCU, even if it's not Poison Ivy.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.