New DCU Will Use the Same Actors in Films, Animation, and Games

In large respect, what the new DC Universe is trying to do — with one overarching universe that connects various mediums like film and television — is essentially a recreation of what Marvel has done for the last dozen years or so to enormously successful effect. Previously, DC has made interconnected movies, but at the same time they were also making TV shows that had nothing to do with the films, and games that had nothing to do with either. There practically an infinite number of DC universes to choose from.

This new DC Universe, which is overseen by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, is different; it’s designed to be cohesive and unified. And, in at least one key respect, it is different from what Marvel has done with the Marvel Cinematic Universe: DC wants to have the same person portray each hero in everything.

As James Gunn put it in a video posted to social media, one of the key parts of his job at DC Studios is ensuring that everything is connected and all works together “in film, television, gaming, and animation. That the characters are consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within one story.”

For example, when Warner Bros. casts a new actor to replace Henry Cavill as Superman in the upcoming Superman: Legacy film that James Gunn is writing, that person should in theory not only star in Superman: Legacy, he’ll also appear in animated movies starring Superman, and he’ll also play Superman in video games featuring the character. While Marvel has had actors appear in different mediums — Michael B. Jordan voices Killmonger on the animated What If…? for example, while Tom Holland appears as Peter Parker in the Disneyland Spider-Man attraction — they’ve never gotten to this point of total consistency.

It’s an incredibly ambitious goal (and potentially a costly one; it can’t be cheap to get an A-list star agree to show up for movies and TV shows and video games and who knows what else). But DC pulls it off, it would certainly be a impressive aspect of their budding new universe. Officially, this new “chapter” of DC is set to begin with Superman: Legacy when it opens in the summer of 2025.