James Gunn Confirms Three Actors Staying in the DCU

While it had already been assumed that they might be sticking around, Gunn took to Threads to answer fan questions about the stars.

(Left) Xolo Mariduena as Jaime Reyes in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure Blue Beetle,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Hopper Stone/SMPSP/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC. (Center) Viola Davis as Amanda Waller in 2016's 'Suicide Squad.' (Right) John Cena in HBO Max's 'Peacemaker.'

When ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’ arrives in December, it’ll make the official demarcation point between what was known by fans as the DC Extended Universe (or the “Snyderverse” given Zack Snyder’s extensive involvement in launching it with ‘Man of Steel’ and other movies) and the DC Studios era currently being shepherded by filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, who are sharing the duties of running the Warner Bros. arm.

And fans are naturally interested to know whether there will be much crossover between actors from the previous movie universe and the Gunn/Safran era, which has often sounded like a reboot, bringing in lots of new elements.

Henry Cavill, for instance, is no longer playing Clark Kent/Superman, with Gunn preparing ‘Superman: Legacy’, which will see David Corenswet taking over the role, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

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The future for Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is also cloudy, as despite comments from the actor herself, there is no official confirmation that she’ll be back. Gunn announced a series set in the days of the Amazon warriors before Diana Prince’s birth as part of his first batch of projects.

So, who will be sticking around? Given that at least two of them were part of shows that Gunn has previously said will be part of his plans, they are not a surprise, but he’s now gone on the record again.

John Cena and Viola Davis to remain

James Gunn in 'Superpowered: The DC Story.' Photograph by Courtesy of Max/Warner Bros.

According to Gunn’s latest comments, both Viola Davis (who plays ambitious Suicide Squad wrangler Amanda Waller) and gung-ho vigilante Peacemaker himself, John Cena, will both be sticking around.

Commenting on the questions, Gunn wrote:

“Nothing is cannon until ‘Creature Commandos’ next year –– a sort of aperitif to the DCU –– & then a deeper dive into the universe with ‘Superman: Legacy’ after that. It’s a very human drive to want to understand everything all the time, but I think it’s okay to be confused on what’s happening in the DCU since no one has seen anything from the DCU yet. And, yes, some actors will be playing characters they’ve played in other stories & some plot points might be consistent with plot points from dozens of films, shows & animated projects that have come from DC in the past. But nothing is canon until ‘CC’ and ‘Legacy’.”

‘Creature Commandos’ will feature a voice cast that includes Davis as Waller, and a ‘Peacemaker’ spin-off featuring the character has been announced. Cena, meanwhile, will be back for the planned second season of ‘Peacemaker’ (even if it’ll likely have to wait until ‘Waller’ and ‘Legacy’ are complete).

Xolo Maridueña will still be Blue Beetle

Xolo Mariduena as Jaime Reyes in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure Blue Beetle,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Hopper Stone/SMPSP/™ & © DC Comics. Copyright: © 2023 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC.

Gunn has previously said that Xolo Maridueña, who starred as Jaime Reyes, the main character in this year’s ‘Blue Beetle’ will be staying around, despite the movie’s relatively low $125 million worldwide gross (from an estimated budget of $104 million before marketing costs). He hasn’t specified since then, and there is no ‘Blue Beetle’ sequel on the books, but Maridueña could well show up in other projects.

‘Creature Commandos’ will be on Max next year, while ‘Superman: Legacy’ is scheduled for release on July 11th, 2025. With the WGA strike now over, the writer/director can get back to work on the script, while hopes are high that the actors will be available once SAG-AFTRA’s own industrial action is complete, and performers have a decent new deal from the studios.