Some fans let their imaginations run wild after James Gunn, the newly minted co-CEO of DC Studios, shared several of his most beloved Elseworlds stories on social media.
Gunn took to Twitter to compare Elseworlds and Watchmen, name-checking classic narratives by writers Tom King, Mark Millar, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, and James Robinson.
Gunn’s tweet sent some DCU fans into a frenzy as they contemplated what might be. One enthusiastically suggested he consider making a film adaptation of the limited comic book series Rorschach, Volume 1, the follow-up to Watchmen, published on DC Black Label.
A hilarious call to the infinite for Gunn to make a film adaptation of Rorschach, Volume 1, or the DC Rebirth series Doomsday Clock followed.
For the uninitiated, Elseworlds is a DC Comics imprint that publishes stories outside the DC Universe’s central continuum. Its narratives take place in alternative realities and are a compelling way for DC to explore new concepts and stories with its characters.
The resounding success of the one-off tale Gotham By Gaslight spurred the creation of the Elseworlds imprint in 1989. It reimagined Batman in pursuit of Jack the Ripper, who descends on Gotham City in the Victoria era. The comic book proved so compelling that DC Comics established the Elseworlds trademark and published classics like Batman: Holy Terror and Superman: The Last Family of Krypton. “Elseworlds” was later employed as the title of The CW’s Arrowverse TV crossover event in 2018.
James Gunn is a fan of Elseworlds but has yet to announce plans to adapt any of the stories into films. While some fans may hope that DC Black Label or DC Rebirth stories will make their way to the silver screen, there is no indication that this will happen any time soon.