'Superman', 'Batman' to spearhead DC's TV and movie reboot

Stories about Batman and his assassin son, a new Superman tale and Swamp Thing are set to hit the big screen as part of an ambitious 10-year plan to reinvigorate DC Studios under new owner Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O).

Despite a rich stable of characters from Batman to Wonder Woman, the DC film and television studio has failed to match the success of Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) Marvel hit factory, Reuters reports.

"The history of DC is pretty messed up," said director James Gunn, who directed three "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies for Marvel and was tapped last year to revamp DC Studios. "We're going to promise that everything from our first project forward is going to be unified."
Gunn and DC Studios co-chairman Peter Safran on Monday unveiled a Marvel Cinematic Universe-inspired plan to tell a single story that unfolds over eight to 10 years, through 10 upcoming film and TV projects.

The first phase, "Gods and Monsters," uses some of the DC Universe's best-known super heroes to introduce audiences to a new generation of characters. Gunn said he worked with a team of five writers to sketch out one connected story.

At the same time, the studio will release stories that fall outside this central DC Universe narrative, dubbed DC Elseworlds, as with the comic books. One example is "Joker: Folie a Deux," the sequel to the 2019 Oscar-nominated drama.