James Gunn Shares Insight on His First DC Project "Creature Commandos" at Annecy

DC head James Gunn is sharing more insight into his vision for "Creature Commandos", his first project to debut since he and Peter Safran took the reins as heads of DC Studios.

Gunn on Friday introduced the presentation for the animated series via a video message at the Annecy Animation Festival, explaining that he was unable to attend due to being in Atlanta to shoot his forthcoming live-action feature Superman. 

Hailing from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, "Creature Commandos" centers on a ragtag group of monsters led by Amanda Waller (voiced by Viola Davis) and is set to debut on Max in December.

“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,” Gunn said about the show. “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.”

Gunn added, “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 pointed out that Davis reprises the role of Waller after previously playing the character in live-action projects including the Suicide Squad films and the series "Peacemaker".

“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,” the filmmaker added. “Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.”

Gunn noted that what makes the show’s leads different is that they “are actual literal monsters, and I can’t wait for you to meet them. Creating this series has been one of the absolute joys of my life.”

Warner Bros. Animation executive Peter Girardi was among the members of the in-person panel for Creature Commandos that included footage and character artwork.