James Gunn Hid a DC Script Under His Cat, & Fans Are Going Batty Guessing What It Is

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Not only is James Gunn responsible for directing blockbuster superhero films like Superman (2025), The Suicide Squad (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), but he also serves as co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. They are committed to guiding Warner Bros. through a ten-year plan of creative development for films, TV shows and video games featuring the vast catalog of DC Comics superheroes. Gunn and Safran announced their initial slate of DCU projects in January 2023 as “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters,” assisted by a committee of writers that included Drew Goddard (The Martian), Jeremy Slater (Moon Knight), Christina Hobson (The Flash, Batgirl), Christal Henry (Watchmen) and comic book writer Tom King (Batman, Mister Miracle).

One of Gunn’s primary roles at DC Studios is to review scripts for potential projects. In a February 2025 interview with Variety, Gunn explained that no DC Studios project would be greenlit until he and Safran were completely satisfied with the screenplay. Gunn was quoted with the explanation, “It is hard enough making a good movie with a good script. It’s almost impossible making a movie with a script that you’re writing on the run.” Not to mention having to relocate his charming pet cat, known as Emily Monster, whenever she sits on a script that he needs to read, in a photo that Gunn shared on social media. Although the script beneath the cat was not revealed, DC Studios has several projects already announced as being in development that may hold the answer.

DC Studios Has Several Scripts In Active Development

Chapter One: Gods And Monsters Spans Various Corners of the DC Universe

James Gunn frequently posts his adorable cat Emily Monster to social media on #caturday, but the latest photo may hold clues as to the next exciting DC Universe feature film. Notably, the script has handwritten notes on its title page, mostly illegible because of the poor image quality, strictly regarding the pixelated distortion, not the adorable subject herself.

Plus, Emily’s front paws strategically cover most of the notes. However, when the image is enhanced, one word is clearly readable: “UNIMPORTANT.” Given how the upcoming DC Studios film slate is of utmost importance, the note makes little sense out of whatever context is known only to the unidentified screenwriter, James Gunn and Emily Monster, all of whom have been sworn to secrecy.

As for which projects could be ready for a script review, The Brave and the Bold was one of the first announced that will adapt the Batman comics run by writer Grant Morrison and artist Andy Kubert, and bring both Batman and Robin into the new DC Universe. Gunn revealed that this Robin would be Damian Wayne, the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul, raised as an assassin and unknown to Bruce for the first eight years of Damian’s life. Andy Muschietti (The Flash) is attached as the director and is still developing the story and tone. Muschietti put rumors to rest by confirming that Robert Pattinson’s Batman would be kept separate from his vision, and that Warner Bros. has a plan so the two Batman films would not release at the same time.

The Authority is another strong contender, since when it was initially announced, it was said to be a direct response to the events in James Gunn’s Superman film. The Authority is a team of super-humans with a jaded approach to saving the world, and one of the ensemble’s frequent mainstays, The Engineer, will debut in Superman, as portrayed by María Gabriela de Faría. Back in 2023, Gunn said that The Authority script was “being written now” but did not reveal the screenwriter. As excited as Gunn is to bring the Wildstorm characters to life, one may guess that the project is helmed by Gunn himself. However, he stated that the script had “had a harder time coming along” and became less of a priority as other projects were fast-tracked.

The classic but underutilized Batman villain Clayface is greenlit for an upcoming feature, slated for theatrical release in September 2026. British director James Watkins (Speak No Evil) is attached to direct based on a screenplay co-written by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House) and Hossein Amini (Drive), described as a body horror film that, according to Gunn, “works as a pure horror movie for somebody who doesn’t care at all about DC.” Gunn also specified that Clayface was greenlit on the strength of the screenplay, even though DC Studios originally had no plans to make a Clayface movie. Alan Tudyk voiced Clayface in animated series such as Creature Commandos and Harley Quinn, though the role will be recast for the feature film.

It Could Also Tease The DCU’s Other Ongoing Projects

Swamp Thing, Teen Titans, and a DC Villain Team-Up Movie Are All Strong Contenders

Swamp Thing was also included in the Chapter One lineup as a horror vehicle for writer and director James Mangold (Logan) with a focus on Swamp Thing’s dark origins. The character previously starred in a 1982 film directed by Wes Craven, a 1989 sequel, and a 2019 episodic series for the short-lived DC Universe streamer.

Gunn stated that Swamp Thing’s interactions with other DC characters will be a similar approach to how Rocket Raccoon stood alongside Thor in Avengers: Infinity War, serving as a bizarre contrast. Unfortunately, Swamp Thing is stuck in production limbo as Mangold focused on his Oscar-nominated Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, and may be delayed even further as he now turns his attention towards Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi.

The team’s roster would also presumably include Beast Boy and Raven, mirroring the popular lineup from the Teen Titans Go! animated series. The screenplay was written by Ana Nogueira (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), who impressed Gunn with a script, though the draft is still undergoing additional edits. The Titans recently spanned four seasons of a live-action show for HBO, which concluded in 2023. Nightwing is also expected to star in the Dynamic Duo animated feature, which likely has a completed script since production is already underway, mixing state-of-the-art animation and puppetry, and is slotted for a June 2028 theatrical release.

Matthew Orton (Captain America: Brave New World) is reportedly writing a script rumored to feature the Batman villain Bane alongside Teen Titans antagonist Deathstroke, but such a pairing has not been confirmed. However, Safran admitted that Orton is indeed working on a script for DC Studios, which Gunn explained was “something kind of like” the rumors. A team-up between Deathstroke and Bane would be unusual, since the characters don’t typically associate, but perhaps their allegiance makes more sense in a concept like the Secret Six, a team of villains formed in opposition to the Secret Society of Supervillains, usually led by Lex Luthor.

DC Studios Also Embraces The Elseworlds

Not Every Project Coexists In The Same DC Universe

DC fans have been clamoring for The Batman Part II after the critical acclaim of the first film in 2022, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as Batman. Further excitement for the sequel stemmed from the success of HBO’s 2024 original series The Penguin, where Colin Farrell reprised his role of Oz Cobb.

Matt Reeves has yet to turn in a full script for Part II, though Gunn and Safran are encouraged by what they’ve read. Fan speculation suggests the featured villain could be Mister Freeze, Hush or the Court of Owls, but all that is certain is that it is set in the wintertime. Warner Bros. co-CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy stated that the film will come when Reeves has “written his best Batman script and is ready,” and is currently scheduled for theatrical release in October 2027.

Although thesequel was greenlit during the previous Warner Bros. regime, Keanu Reeves has since discussed the project with Gunn, and it remains in active development. The film will most likely be released under the Elseworlds umbrella, although a case could be made for making Keanu Reeves the official Constantine for the interconnected DC Universe, even though he’s not the most comic-accurate depiction. That honor goes to Matt Ryan, who starred in the 2014 Constantine series on NBC before the same version was integrated into The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow ensemble.

Non-fiction author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates was announced in February 2021 to be writing a Black-led Superman film, produced by J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens). While no director or cast is confirmed, the film is expected to feature a Black actor as Superman.

Michael B. Jordan pitched himself for the role, but stepped back when he realized the intent was to introduce a new version of Kal-El rather than feature an existing Black character who was already Superman in the Multiverse, such as Val-Zod on Earth-2 and Calvin Ellis on Earth-23. The film is rumored to be a 20th-century period piece, firmly set in its own separate continuity. Although there have been few updates on the project, it is believed to still be in development, despite James Gunn’s separate Superman feature.

The script beneath Emily Monster may belong to one of the live-action episodic series confirmed by DC Studios, such as Lanterns, Waller, Paradise Lost and Booster Gold. However, several animated projects that connect to the DCU are also underway, including season two of Creature Commandos and a Blue Beetle animated series, which follows up on the 2019 film.

The Elseworlds umbrella also has several animated projects in the works, including a film based on The Jurassic League comic books, as well as series such as Starfire!, DC Super Powers, and My Adventures with Green Lantern, which coexist in the same world as My Adventures with Superman. Needless to say, it’s a great time to be a fan of the DC Universe.

“}]] James Gunn reviews many scripts for development at DC Studios, but sometimes his cat Emily Monster guards the screenplays a little too well.  Read More