Fans of studios and their “expanded universe” plans have gotten used to how such plans can change. The MCU is infamous for dropping several planned projects (see the entire Kang saga), and likewise, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and others have shifted things around.
When James Gunn announced his plans for his new DC Universe films, this Phase 1, titled “Gods and Monsters,” was a mix of big guns like Superman with lesser-known titles like Booster Gold and Clayface.
Among the announced titles was The Authority, based on the wildly brutal team of anti-heroes. 2025’s Superman featured Authority member the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), although she served as a henchwoman for Lex Luthor. Yet the project seemed to be going ahead.
However, in a long Threads discussion where he touched on the status of DC Universe films, Gunn confirmed that The Authority has fallen to the wayside and is no longer in full development.
“The script wasn't quite there, but more importantly, it didn't work in terms of the larger DCU both in terms of the story and practical concerns. Maybe some day. Not soon.”
This ties to Gunn’s earlier statements on not pushing movies into production without a finished script, an obvious response to Marvel famously rewriting scripts even during filming.
Why is The Authority hard to crack?
Debuting in 1999 from the former Stormwatch book, The Authority began at DC’s Wildstorm imprint. Written by Warren Ellis, it presented a team of anti-heroes who had no qualms killing their enemies, facing threats from other worlds to a space deity. Mark Millar transformed the book into a political take, with the Authority going so far as to take over Earth to instill order.
The characters were later integrated into the main DC Universe with several popular characters, especially the dark Midnighter. However, their willingness to kill the bad guys makes them outliers among standard DC heroes.
Notably, 2001’s now-classic Action Comics #775 had Superman facing the Elite, a team obviously based on the Authority with the same attitude. Superman questioned whether he was too old-fashioned for this world, only to defeat the Elite and prove how there were ways besides violence to save the day (this was later adapted into the Superman vs. the Elite animated movie).
So, to announce the Authority for Phase 1 of this new DCEU was an odd choice. They’re heroes, just not the classic ones comic book fans would know, with an attitude that goes right up against the hopeful Superman Gunn produced in 2025. Gunn himself appears to have realized this and how it’s better to put the project on the back burner rather than force it into a movie landscape.
It’s possible the Authority can still come down the road, as the title is popular and has so much potential in the property and the characters. If anything, it’s good for Gunn to recognize the problems of shoving them out there, proving once more how his careful direction is a reason the new DCU is working well.
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