In an appearance at the Annecy Animation Festival, James Gunn made some comments on the DCU series, Creature Commandos.
Creature Commandos, the first instalment in James Gunn’s and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe recently got a release date announcement at the Annecy Animation Festival in Annecy, France. Now, in its own panel, we have received many more details regarding the series.
James Gunn appeared on video call due to his inability to attend in person, a result of his attachment to the ongoing filming of Superman, which is currently in the principal photograph stage. On the call, he revealed many details regarding the upcoming series including when it is set and how the characters in the series come to be together.
“It’s a cornerstone of the legacy we’ve been entrusted to carry at DC Studios and plays an integral role in the vision for our future storytelling. Since taking the reins, our true north has been to bring DC film, TV, animation and gaming into alignment under a single banner and bring a sense of unity and consistency into the DCU as a whole. This frees us to create a range of products that are diverse and compelling, and deliver great stand-alone entertainment experiences on every medium, while also being part of a larger story that we’re telling within our unified DCU. What this means in practical terms is that our characters can move in and out of animation or jump into a game or onto the big screen, but they will remain consistent throughout same character, same history, same actor.”
He also describes the series as a “dark, humorous but never goofy and unsentimental, adult-themed show with political storylines.” Furthermore, he confirms the voice cast of the series, including the likes of Violas Davis, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Maria Bakalova, Indira Varma, Zoë Chao, Alan Tudyk, David Harbour, Sean Gunn, and Anya Chalotra.
Additionally, some locations featured in Creature Commandos were shown off to the crowd at Annecy, with first looks at Belle Reve (which was seen in Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad), Frankenstein Manor and Lab, and Poko Castle (described as “a failed fairytale type of city” and a “Disney-esque fantasy”).
A description from Ovicio writer Felipe Pinheiro comments on the series in the following description (translated from Portuguese): “Creature Commandos, from DC Studios, is set in current times and will crossover with Waller (live-action series), featuring a team of outcasts: war pilot Rick Flag Sr., SHADE amphibious scientist Nina Mazursky, the Doctor Phosphorus, the SHADE agents Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, the military-made GI robot and Weasel.”
In the comics, S.H.A.D.E (or Super Human Advanced Defense Executive) was an organisation that bore a similarity to ARGUS (the home division of Task Force X) and was the head division of the Creature Commandos. S.H.A.D.E may become a division of ARGUS in this adaptation, considering how Gunn describes the teams formation in the series.
“The new series picks up directly after our Peacemaker season one finale, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning that she’s no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.”
Creature Commandos stars an ensemble cast consisting of (but not limited to) Frank Grillo, Maria Bakalova, Indira Varma, Zoë Chao, Alan Tudyk, David Harbour, Sean Gunn, Anya Chalotra, and Viola Davis. It is slated for a December 2024 release on Max and is voice directed, showran, written by and executive produced by James Gunn. Peter Safran, Sam Register, and Dean Lorey also serve as executive producers. Karina Benesh, Kip Brown, Lisa Hallbauer serve as producers.
