James Gunn Exposes Canceled DCU Film Despite Greenlight

James Gunn’s Comments Suggest a Canceled DCU Film

James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, may have unintentionally revealed which DCU film was canceled. In June 2025, he confirmed that one of the previously announced DCU films had been scrapped. While many assumed it was the recently canceled Sgt. Rock film directed by Luca Guadagnino, recent comments from Gunn suggest the project might have been delayed instead.

Fans have been speculating about which title was cut, and a recent comment from Gunn could indicate bad news for Swamp Thing. Speaking with NPR, Gunn provided details about a greenlit DCU film that will not be made. After multiple script drafts, he explained that the project simply wasn’t working out. He decided, for the sake of the studio and the filmmakers involved, to cancel the project rather than move forward with it.

One of the most telling parts of his statement was when he said, “we have a good director.” Apart from Sgt. Rock, the only other two directors signed on for DCU films are Andy Muschietti for Brave and the Bold and James Mangold for Swamp Thing. Since Gunn has continued to promote Brave and the Bold and Muschietti attended the premiere of Superman, it suggests that Swamp Thing is the film that was canceled.

Gunn shared more about the decision:

“We had a screenplay that – you know, a movie that was greenlit. We got second draft and third draft, and it just wasn’t changing. It wasn’t getting better. It was staying in the same place. And I said, ‘We can’t make this film. We can’t. It’s not good. We know it’s not good.’ Just because we have a good director attached and a good screenwriter, it doesn’t mean the script is working. Everyone is going to be upset at the end of this. It’s going to come out, the movie’s not going to be good. Director’s going to look bad, screenwriter’s going to look bad, and we’re going to look bad. So I don’t want to have this. We’re not going to make the movie. And so we killed it.”

He also reflected on the challenges of the film industry:

“I would be surprised if it’s ever happened at a studio ’cause that’s just not the way things work. People are really excited to have something greenlit, and then they go and they just make it because they have to say yes to everybody, and they don’t want to disappoint everybody. You know, for all the talk of the movie business being so based on dollars and cents, it is based on like me, like me, like me, like me, like me. And it’s terrible. People don’t want to be not liked. They don’t want to let people down, and it’s terrible. It’s not good for anyone.”

The Fate of Swamp Thing

Swamp Thing was part of the initial DCU slate of films that Gunn announced in January 2023. James Mangold, known for films like Walk the Line, Logan, and the Academy Award-nominated A Complete Unknown, was one of the first directors to sign up for Gunn’s DCU. While Mangold also had commitments to a Star Wars film centered on the first Jedi, he was set to write and direct Swamp Thing. However, there has been no recent information about the project. This makes it seem like it might have been canceled.

Gunn previously described Swamp Thing as Mangold’s passion project, and the character features some of DC’s best stories. Fans are disappointed, especially given the potential of the film.

Could It Be Sgt. Rock?

There is still a real chance that the canceled movie could be Sgt. Rock. The period piece had both a director and a screenwriter, reteaming Luca Guadagnino with his Challengers scribe, Justin Kuritzkes. Additionally, Sgt. Rock was picking up momentum quickly, looking to shoot in the summer of 2025 for a possible May 29, 2026, release date. With Guadagnino quickly moving onto another project, it points to Sgt. Rock as the canceled film, which means there might be hope for Swamp Thing.

Other Possible Candidates

Another early DCU film that has encountered production issues is The Authority. While no screenwriter was confirmed for The Authority, Gunn teased that the film does have a writer attached, but the story has proven harder to crack. Rumors circulated that X-Men: First Class and Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn was in talks to direct The Authority. It is entirely possible that The Authority is the canceled film, but the concept could be repackaged and reworked into another DC film, such as a hypothetical sequel to Superman.

Only when more details come out about one or more of these projects in the future can fans narrow down which film was canceled.