James Gunn on Why THE AUTHORITY Has Been the Toughest DCU Movie to Crack and How THE BOYS Plays a Role
When James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled their ambitious Gods and Monsters slate for the DC Universe back in 2023, one of the promises they made was that no project would move forward without a solid script.
That’s worked out well for some films and series. Superman is deep in post-production, Lanterns just revealed its first look, and Clayface sped through pre-production thanks to Mike Flanagan’s praised script. But not every project has found its footing, and one of the biggest challenges has been The Authority.
During a recent press event at the Warner Bros. lot, Gunn admitted that The Authority has struggled to gain momentum. The main issue? Other adaptations have already tapped into the themes and tone that made the team unique in the comics, most notably, Amazon’s The Boys.
Gunn explained: “Honestly, Authority has 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.
“And also having a lot of characters that we've fallen in love with that we've already filmed and have that we want to continue their stories and see them meet each other. I will admittedly say it's, it's a little bit more on the back burner right now.”
Created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, The Authority follows a team of morally gray superheroes who take extreme measures to enforce their version of justice, often at great cost.
When the comic debuted, its ultra-violent, no-holds-barred approach felt fresh. But since then, shows like The Boys have thrived by exploring similar ideas, making it harder to position The Authority as something new.
For now, a full-fledged Authority movie isn’t a top priority, but elements of the team are already creeping into the new DCU. María Gabriela de Faría’s Angela Spica, a.k.a. Engineer, will debut in Superman this summer, keeping the door open for the rest of the squad down the line.
As for the bigger picture, DC has plenty in the pipeline. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow coming on June 26, 2026 and Clayface coming on September 11, 2026. While projects like Sgt. Rock with director Luca Guadagnino, Swamp Thing with director James Mangold, and The Brave and the Bold with director Andy Muschietti continue development.
With a clear focus on quality and top-tier talent, the future of the DCU is still shaping up to be something special, whether The Authority joins the line-up sooner or later.