There are still three upcoming DC movies to look forward to this year following the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, but from there, the DC Extended Universe as we know it will end, and from the ashes will rise the new DC Universe. While aspects of the DCEU will be retained, such as John Cena and Viola Davis continuing to respectively play Peacemaker and Amanda Waller, there will be a lot of new actors coming into the continuity being overseen by DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. The first round of casting for this next era has finally come in, and it all revolves around the animated series Creature Commandos.
It was first reported by The Wrap that Frank Grillo, known for playing Crossbones in the MCU, will play Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos. To be clear, this is not Joel Kinsman being recast, as he played Rick Flag Jr., the son of Grillo’s character, in Suicide Squad and The Suicide Squad. Then Collider shared that the rest of the main cast will also consist of Sean Gunn as both G.I. Robot and Weasel (whom we knew would be back), Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein and Steve Agee as John Economos. Both Weasel and Economos were previously seen in The Suicide Squad, with the latter also appearing in Peacemaker and cameoing in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
James Gunn confirmed all these castings on Twitter, and while these are just vocal outings for now, the DC Universe intends to use actors from animated projects in live-action as well. As such, Frank Grillo, David Harbour and the rest could easily join Steve Agee and Sean Gunn (in the case of Weasel) in bringing their characters to life onscreen. Like the Suicide Squad, the Creature Commandos are under the supervision of Amanda Waller, but there’s no mention of if we’ll hear Viola Davis reprising her role in this particular project.
Although no specific plot details for Creature Commandos have been revealed yet, James Gunn wrote all seven episodes, and the show is currently in production. It’s been described as an “aperitif” for the DC Universe before Superman: Legacy, which Gunn is both writing and directing, is released in theaters on July 11, 2025 to officially kick off the franchise. This animated series is an especially fitting project to come out as part of the DCU’s Chapter One slate, titled “Gods and Monsters,” as most of the team’s members fall quite nicely into the latter grouping.
HBO Max subscribers will be able to check out Creature Commandos whenever it arrives next year, although keep in mind that the streaming service will be relaunched in late May as simply Max. Regardless, it’s just one of many upcoming DC TV shows that CinemaBlend will continue sharing updates about as we move forward into the DC Universe.
