James Gunn has got both good and bad news for DC fandom. In his latest Instagram post, Gunn unveiled María Gabriela de Faría as the villain, Engineer, for his upcoming film, Superman: Legacy. However, when a fan asked about a casting update on Batman, Gunn disclosed that the casting announcement for The Brave and the Bold would take time, as the script is still in its nascent stages.
The Batman film is only third in the list of films announced under Chapter One of the DCU, Gods and Monsters. Gunn has confirmed a release date for Superman: Legacy on July 11, 2025. The Authority will be the second film from DCU, which makes adding a member from the anti-hero team in Superman more interesting.
James Gunn Provides Updates On Superman And Batman Films
María Gabriela de Faría secured the role of the villain in James Gunn’s first directorial venture in the DCU. She will portray Dr. Angela “Angie” Spica / Engineer, a member of The Authority. This latest casting announcement comes after Gunn revealed David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman. Deadline also reported that Rachel Brosnahan is confirmed as Lois Lane in the film.
Gunn posted on Instagram, extending a warm welcome to de Faría to the DC Universe. The Guardians of the Galaxy director shared a screenshot from the Deadline article announcing her casting and calling her “the villain”, and clarified that “Villain is such a disparaging term”. Gunn may be hinting at the Venezuelan actress’s bigger role in the DC Universe as part of The Authority.
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On the Batman front, James Gunn had upsetting news for fans. The studio is yet to finalize an actor to inherit the legacy of the caped crusader, and even compete with Robert Pattinson’s Batman in the Elseworlds universe films. When pressed for a casting update on the Andy Muschietti-directed film, The Suicide Squad director revealed, “We don’t even have a script yet.”
With Superman slated for release on July 11, 2025, and assuming The Authority film follows suit the same year, The Brave and the Bold may only see the light of day in 2026. The studio has plenty of time to perfect both casting and script, avoiding a mess like Muschietti’s previous film, The Flash.
Who Is The Engineer In The Authority Comics?
The inclusion of the Engineer has sparked enthusiasm within the DC fandom, raising the possibility of The Authority appearing in Superman: Legacy. The Authority is a team of superheroes who have no moral code and use extreme methods to get their job done. This could potentially lead to a clash between Superman and The Authority in the first film.
In the comic storyline, Angela Spica was recruited to The Authority by Jenny Sparks. After the first Engineer gets killed, his nanotechnology notes are uploaded to Spica’s computer system. Drawing knowledge from these notes, Spica replaces her blood with nine pints of metallic liquid containing an incalculable number of intelligent devices (nanobots). This transformation gives her a liquid body and extensive mechanical capabilities.
The liquid metal covering her body enables her to create radio-telepathy bugs, weaponry, rocket engines, and even lungs to cope with other atmospheres. The Engineer can fly and generate additional copies of herself, which makes her one ruthless villain. Fans will have to wait for more information from Gunn regarding the appearance of other Authority members and whether there are other villains for the Kryptonian in the film.
