DCU's The Authority Film Delayed, Gunn Cites Challenges in 'The Boys' Era

It seems that the DCU movie The Authority might be facing some challenges, as DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has acknowledged that it has been placed on the "back burner." Announced as part of Gunn and Peter Safran's ambitious Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC Universe reboot two years ago, The Authority promised to bring the famously ruthless superhero team from the WildStorm Universe to the big screen. Initially described by Gunn as a "big movie," the project has evidently encountered significant hurdles.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn described The Authority as the "hardest" project within the Chapter 1 lineup. He cited the success of Amazon's adaptation of The Boys as a contributing factor to the difficulties. "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 explained. He also mentioned the challenge of integrating characters from other projects that have already been filmed and whose stories they want to continue.

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Interestingly, one character from The Authority, the electronics prodigy The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickstarter film Superman. Known as one of the most powerful members of the team, The Engineer can self-duplicate, possesses technopathy, and boasts a genius-level intellect along with radio-induced telepathy. For a deeper dive into the characters of The Authority, check out IGN's article, Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained.

The Authority is not the only project in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters facing delays. Gunn also mentioned that Waller, a spinoff from his successful HBO Max series Peacemaker, "has had a couple of setbacks." On a more positive note, the HBO Max series Booster Gold is reportedly "going pretty strong," while Paradise Lost remains a priority, with Gunn stating, "It's totally, still important and we're working heavily on it. It seems to be going pretty well." Peter Safran confirmed that the pilot for Paradise Lost is currently being written.

Regarding Swamp Thing, Safran revealed that DC Studios is prepared to wait for acclaimed director James Mangold, who is currently working on other projects including A Complete Unknown and the upcoming Star Wars movie Dawn of the Jedi. "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," clarifying that it was always intended to be somewhat separate from the main narrative arc.