The Authority Film Delayed: Gunn Struggles to Perfect It Amid The Boys' Success

It sounds like the DCU movie The Authority is facing significant challenges, as admitted by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who stated that the project has been placed on the "back burner."

The Authority was unveiled as a major part of Gunn and Peter Safran's ambitious Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters DC Universe reboot two years ago. The film centers around the notoriously ruthless superhero team from the WildStorm Universe. Initially described by Gunn as a "big movie," it now seems to be grappling with substantial hurdles.

During a recent DC Studios presentation, as reported by IGN, Gunn highlighted The Authority as the most challenging project among those announced for Chapter 1. He attributed this difficulty to the evolving overarching narrative and the need to differentiate the film in a landscape already influenced by Amazon's hit series, The Boys.

"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 further noted that the project's complexity is compounded by the desire to continue stories of beloved characters already filmed and to see these characters interact. Consequently, Gunn admitted that The Authority is currently less prioritized.

DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

38 ImagesOne character from The Authority, The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickoff film, Superman. Known for her powerful abilities including self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy, The Engineer is a key member of the team. For a deeper dive into the characters, check out IGN's article, Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained.

The Authority isn't the only project in Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters facing difficulties. Gunn also mentioned that Waller, a spinoff from his HBO Max series Peacemaker, has encountered "a couple of setbacks." On a brighter note, the HBO Max series Booster Gold is "going pretty strong," and Paradise Lost remains a priority with ongoing development. "The pilot's being written right now," Safran confirmed.

Regarding Swamp Thing, Safran indicated that DC Studios is prepared to wait for director James Mangold, who is currently involved with another project titled A Complete Unknown. "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," Safran remarked, also referencing Mangold's upcoming Star Wars movie, Dawn of the Jedi.

However, Gunn clarified that Swamp Thing is not essential to the broader narrative they are crafting. "Right. Yeah, it was always outside of that," Gunn added. "I mean, it was because James came to us with it, frankly."