The Authority Is The Most Cryptic (& Most Exciting) DCU Movie Announced At James Gunn's Blockbuster Press Event

James Gunn and Peter Safrans' big DC Universe reboot has kept fans on their toes for a good while now, but the news of their first slate of movies and TV shows is finally here. In one fell swoop, Gunn unleashed an array of exciting projects – many of which, true to form, shine a light on lesser-known and underrepresented DC characters (via /Film).

Fans who've paid attention to what Gunn's been doing with offbeat super-teams in the last nine years or so know by now to look beyond the Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superwoman stuff ... because that's where the moviemaker-slash-DC Studios co-chairman and CEO keeps his Suicide Squads and Peacemakers. This is the case once again, and fans of DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint will probably spend today jumping up and down while victoriously punching the air. The Authority, you see, is headed for big screen.

If you're not familiar with The Authority yet, the news of a movie based on this semi-obscure superteam from DC Comics' WildStorm imprint might be largely puzzling –- but that's good, because "puzzling" is kind of their thing. Let's prepare ourselves for the most cryptic (and arguably most exciting) DCU movie Gunn just announced by looking a little bit deeper into this powerful, peculiar super team.

At a glance, The Authority is nothing particularly special. You might even write them off as yet another generic superteam, based on their classic lineup that consists of folks like a magic user, a metal-themed engineer, a winged hero, a team leader with electric powers, and ... uh, a guy who's powered by large cities. Ok, that last one is new.

That's the thing, though. This seems like your average superhero team, but the moment you look under the hood you realize that this is one of those highly original comic universes that blow the MCU away. It's also the absolute perfect thing for James Gunn, who indeed announced "The Authority" movie as something of a personal passion project. As Gunn noted, The Authority doesn't settle on fighting supervillains and alien invasions. True to its name, the ultra-powerful group posits itself as the authority on Earth, and actively changes things in an attempt to fix the world. As such, you can fully expect them to meddle in the affairs of major countries, and even install new governments. Are they always right in their decisions? Who knows! Do they have the muscle to push through anyway? Oh, easily. 

The novel concept is just part of the allure, because the members of the team are far from the cookie-cutter archetypes that they initially appear to be. For instance, "The Authority" movie will almost certainly introduce DCEU-style, legitimately dangerous Superman and Batman expies called Apollo and Midnighter. For fans who are not into Superman snapping General Zod's neck and Batman using ultraviolence, however, the characters also have another side: when they're not punching supervillains and dictators into oblivion, Midnighter and Apollo are one of the most wholesome romantic couples in superhero comics.

"The Authority" will be the first sample of WildStorm characters in James Gunn's one-universe DCU, and Gunn's said that we may well see more of the imprint's major figures make their way to screens big and small in the future. It's not clear whether his plans are limited to mainWildStorm universe figures like WildC.A.T.s and Gen¹³, or if there are plans to include creator-owned properties, as well. If the latter is the case, prepare yourself for anything from Brian K. Vaughan's political superhero mystery "Ex Machina" to Kurt Busiek's sprawling silver age-style superhero story "Astro City."

Regardless of what's going to happen, the inclusion of WildStorm elements in Gunn and Safran's plans adds an intriguing wild(storm) card in the future of the DCU ... and since some of The Authority's lineups include members of other prominent WildStorm teams, the upcoming movie might already do some pretty heavy lifting for future movies featuring the imprint's characters.