It appears that the DCU movie, *The Authority*, is facing significant challenges, as confirmed by DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who has placed it 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* promised to bring the brutal superhero team from the WildStorm Universe to the big screen. Initially described as a "big movie" by Gunn, it now seems to be grappling with several hurdles.
During a DC Studios presentation, Gunn openly discussed the difficulties surrounding *The Authority*, labeling it the "hardest" of the Chapter 1 projects. He cited the success of Amazon's *The Boys* and the evolving landscape of superhero narratives as major influences. "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 the challenge of integrating characters already filmed and loved into the narrative, suggesting a more cautious approach to its development.
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Interestingly, one character from *The Authority*, the electronics prodigy The Engineer / Angela Spica, is set to appear in the DCU's kickstarter film, *Superman*. The Engineer is renowned for her formidable abilities, including self-duplication, technopathy, genius-level intellect, and radio-induced telepathy. For a deeper dive into the team, 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 more positive note, the HBO Max series *Booster Gold* is "going pretty strong," and *Paradise Lost* remains a priority, with Gunn stating, "It seems to be going pretty well." Peter Safran confirmed that the pilot for *Paradise Lost* is currently being written.
Regarding *Swamp Thing*, Safran expressed DC Studios' willingness 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, 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 central to the overarching narrative of Chapter 1, stating, "It was always outside of that. I mean, it was because James came to us with it, frankly."
