The DCU is currently undergoing a shift of sorts. The sprawling universe was originally announced with a ton of content in mind, but is seemingly winding down some of its other projects.
According to a new report from Ankler, two previously announced projects in the DCU were no longer moving forward. Waller, the series starring Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, and Paradise Lost, a TV series that was set in the world of Wonder Woman, have both reportedly been canceled, and are no longer in active development.
Both projects were originally part of a large swath of TV shows that DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran announced back in 2023, along with a number of other projects. At the moment, it seems like the DCU is shifting away from the world of TV, with more of an eye toward theatrical releases in mind. While this might seem surprising to some, it’s actually the right move, and can help them avoid one of the biggest mistakes Marvel made.
The DCU focusing more on movies is actually a better idea than most think
The DCU deciding to move away from some of its television-based projects is another tough blow in a string of tough news for the growing universe. It’s already struggling following the release of Supergirl, which ended up being a surprise box office bomb, and now has put a lot of pressure on the likes of Lanterns and Man of Tomorrow to succeed.
However, deciding to get away from TV world building might actually be more beneficial in the long run. DC Studios need only look to its competition for the reason why. Following the release of Avengers: Endgame, the content plan for Marvel Studios seemed solid. Everything they released was being received well, and Marvel Studios began diving into the world of streaming content in a heavier way with a ton of Disney+ shows set in the MCU.
What followed, as many are aware, is the MCU mostly falling out of favor with a lot of fans. Between the quality of both the shows and movies, as well as the sheer number of television projects releasing in a short time, and fans quickly felt like following the MCU was more like doing homework than anything. This isn’t just an opinion either, as Marvel Studios all but acknowledged this by announcing they would shift their release patterns back to just 2-4 total projects per year.
The DC Universe could take a page right out of Marvel’s playbook in this sense, without suffering from the mistakes Marvel had to learn. Too many TV-based projects, which are notoriously fickle due to the number of people behind them and how they’re made, could result in fans becoming even more uninterested with the DCU. Utilizing TV to tell smaller stories, like the upcoming Lanterns, is the right call. Leave the bigger heroes for the silver screen.
