James Gunn is Creating a DCU World Map and Casting Two Guardians

Movies

James Gunn is dispelling assumptions that his and Peter Safran’s DCU doesn’t have much of a plan. In a recent discussion on Threads, a fan asked Gunn about the layout of the DCU’s world, such as whether the major cities are close together or spread out, and Gunn said that he and his collaborators are making “a very detailed world map” for the DCU.

I don’t mean this as a knock against Gunn because it’s good that he’s doing this, but it’s pretty sad that this is being reported as a revolutionary idea. Have movies in general, and comic book movies in particular, gotten so bad and poorly constructed that planning out the world before you dive into writing blows our minds? A look at the MCU’s latest entries or how Star Wars under Disney’s stewardship has a slapdash feel explains our fascination with the idea of having a plan for a shared universe. The person in charge – and, through him, the individual writers and directors – should know where Metropolis is in relation to Gotham City, for example, or under which sea Atlantis is, or the locations of Themyscira and the Corto Maltese, or wherever.

I don’t know if Gunn intended this – he was answering a direct question, and it’s a good answer – but it almost feels like a response to pretty much everyone scratching their heads as to what’s going on with the DCU and getting confusing answers. Gal Gadot is in, unless she isn’t; The Flash was totally going to lead into the DCU, except it didn’t; Blue Beetle is the first character in the DCU, but Superman: Legacy is the first movie (what!?). Knowing about the “world map” gives the sense that, despite everyone’s confusion, Gunn knows what he’s doing. Inadvertent or not, it’s a good move.

Gunn also revealed a couple of actors who are going to turn up in the DCU at some point:

What are the odds of Chris Pratt playing Booster Gold? I’d rather have him be someone more important, but he’d definitely fit the role. Regardless, this is cool; I don’t mind filmmakers working with their favorite actors over and over as long as they’re good actors and they fit their roles (imagine telling Scorsese he’s only allowed one Robert De Niro performance), and I like both Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff. It’s not difficult to imagine Gunn can find parts that suit them. There’s a lot of give-and-take with DCU news/rumors, but these are good ones, and they’re coming straight from James Gunn, so they’re confirmed.