"DCU's The Authority Film Delayed, Gunn Cites Challenges with The Boys' Influence"

It seems that the DCU movie The Authority is facing challenges, as confirmed by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who revealed that the project 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 was pitched as a major film centered around the notoriously ruthless superhero team from the WildStorm Universe.

During a DC Studios presentation attended by IGN, Gunn acknowledged the complexities surrounding The Authority, describing it as the "hardest" of the Chapter 1 projects. He cited the influence and success of Amazon's The Boys as a contributing factor to the difficulties they're encountering. Gunn explained, "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 also mentioned the challenge of integrating The Authority into the larger narrative, given the existing characters and their stories that have already been filmed and are set to intersect. This has led to The Authority being somewhat deprioritized for the time being.

DC Universe: Every Upcoming Movie and TV Show

38 ImagesOne character from The Authority, the electronics prodigy The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU kickstarter Superman. The Engineer is arguably the most powerful member of the group, with abilities including self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy. For more details on the team, check out IGN's article, Who Are the Authority: The WildStorm DCU Characters Explained.

The Authority isn't the only project within Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters facing hurdles. Gunn 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 progressing well, and Paradise Lost remains a priority with active development. "The pilot's being written right now," Safran confirmed.

Regarding Swamp Thing, Safran indicated that DC Studios is prepared to wait for acclaimed director James Mangold, who is currently working on another project, 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, because again, that was one of those ones that we love him as a filmmaker, so we're happy to wait for him," Safran remarked. Gunn added that Swamp Thing is not essential to the overarching DCU narrative, stating, "Right. Yeah, it was always outside of that. I mean, it was because James came to us with it, frankly."