What to read to prepare for James Gunn's new DC movie and TV universe

The slate, titled "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters," includes a mix of well-known characters like Superman and Batman, as well as B- and C-listers like Swamp Thing and Booster Gold.

It includes five theatrical films and five TV shows for HBO Max. Here are the movies, in alphabetical order:

• "The Authority"
• "The Brave and the Bold"
• "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow"
• "Superman: Legacy"
• "Swamp Thing"

And the TV shows:

• "Booster Gold"
• "Creature Commandos" (animated)
• "Lanterns"
• "Paradise Lost"
• "Waller"

Gunn said that the movies won't be direct adaptations, but "the feel, the look, or the tone" of the comic stories will be "touchstones for our team."

The future of the DC universe is looking more clear based on the stories Gunn shared, and it suggests a departure from the scattershot nature of the previous DC and Warner Bros. regime.

The DC Extended Universe, as it was called prior to Gunn and Safran, tried to build a connected cinematic universe. But after the critical and financial failure of "Justice League," started telling more standalone stories.

Gunn and Safran's DC universe will likely play with different tones and styles, as well, based on the stories Gunn shared — but under a unified creative direction.

Gunn described "The Authority" as a "big movie" in his and Safran's plans. The average person may be unfamiliar with the characters, though.

Gunn didn't point to a specific Authority story as inspiration. The team was originally introduced under DC's Wildstorm imprint in the late 1990s by writer Warren Ellis and artist Bryan Hitch, and they existed outside of the main DC universe. Gunn and Safran intend to change that right away with their new film and TV universe.

The characters in the Authority comics weren't afraid to use lethal force, but it's unclear at the moment just how adult-friendly Gunn and Safran's DC universe will get.

"The Brave and the Bold" will introduce Gunn and Safran's version of Batman, along with his son Damian Wayne, who is currently Robin in the comics.

Morrison began writing DC's Batman comics in 2006, and his first storyline was "Batman and Son," with artist Andy Kubert, which introduced Damian.

Gunn said the movie will introduce the "Bat-family" in his new DC universe.

Robert Pattinson's Batman will still exist, just outside of Gunn and Safran's universe, and is expected to appear again in "The Batman Part II." Movies that exist outside of the main DC movie and TV universe, which also include "Joker" and its upcoming sequel, will fall under a new DC Elseworlds banner, Gunn and Safran announced.

Gunn and Safran didn't have to go back very far in comics history to find the template for a Supergirl movie.

"Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" was an eight-issue series by writer Tom King and artist Bilquis Evely published last year.

Gunn said this week that the Supergirl of the movie will be a "jaded" after seeing her homeworld destroyed, similar to the version of the character seen in King and Evely's story.

It's unclear if this will be a different Supergirl than the one being introduced in this year's "Flash" movie, though, where she'll be played by Sasha Calle. Gunn said this week that "The Flash" will "reset" the DC universe, before he and Safran launch their own.

This year will see the release of several other DC movies that were greenlit and made before Gunn and Safran were hired, including "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," "Blue Beetle," and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."

"All-Star Superman," by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, was part of the short-lived All-Star banner launched by DC in 2005 that was intended to tell stories by superstar creators that were untethered from the larger DC continuity.

Ironically, it's what Gunn is using to jumpstart his own DC continuity. "Superman: Legacy" is set to hit theaters in 2025 and is being written by Gunn.

"All-Star Superman" is one of the most acclaimed comic series in recent memory, winning multiple Eisner awards (the comic-book industry's Oscars). It follows Superman after he's exposed to enough solar radiation that he finds out he has just one year left to live.

Before he wrote "Watchmen," Alan Moore took on Swamp Thing in the early 1980s.

Gunn has described the movie as "horrific," and "Logan" director James Mangold is in talks to direct, according to The Hollywood Reporter.