DC’s CREATURE COMMANDOS Will Release in 2024, Confirms James Gunn

Of all the projects announced for James Gunn’s new DCU, the one that was already in production was the animated Creature Commandos series for HBO Max. And now, James Gunn has announced the voice cast for this series about a squad of monster soldiers based on the cult DC Comics title from the early ’80s. Gunn has filled it with quite a few names you’ll recognize, including some making the jump from the MCU. Here’s the full line-up of the DC voice cast for the upcoming Creature Commandos and a little bit more about what we can expect from the project and when we might see it release.

Creature Commandos Voice Cast

Creature Commandos will showcase the voice talents of the MCU’s former Crossbones, Frank Grillo, who will portray Rick Flag Sr. Another MCU alum joining the Creature Commandos cast is David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein. Speaking of Frankenstein, Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Indira Varma will be playing The Bride. Also in the cast are Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, and Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus. Sean Gunn is reprising his role as Weasel and also playing G.I. Robot. Finally, Steve Agee will reprise his role as John Economos from the Peacemaker series. Already announced for this series is Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, who’s giving the Commandos their marching orders.

Additionally, The Witcher‘s Anya Chalotra has joined the DCU as the voice of Circe. James Gunn confirmed the news, though he indicated the role may be a more minor part of the series. Circe is a Wonder Woman villain and power sorceress/goddess in the world of DC. And we couldn’t think of someone better to give life to the role than Anya Chalotra.

James Gunn mentioned in his DCU announcement that actors who voiced characters in animation would also portray them in live-action. So this voice-cast announcement for DC’s Creature Commandos means we’re likely to see David Harbour as Frankenstein and the rest of the squad in a live-action project—probably even a project DC has already announced. If we were to guess, it’s likely to be the Amanda Waller series. Of course, they could all turn up in a future second season of Peacemaker. However, that’s now a long way off.

Creature Commandos Will Integrate Animated and Live-Action DCU Worlds

At the Annecy Animation Festival, more was revealed about the DCU’s Creature Commandos. Variety reports that, continuity is a key aspect of Creature Commandos. The publication notes that at the Warner Bros. panel it was revealed that Creature Commandos narrative would be “both narrative and stylistic, with the animated series playing as a direct follow-up to Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker,” while the creatures designed for animation will keep their same looks once they turn up in upcoming live-action offerings like the Gunn directed “Superman” reboot and the Viola Davis-led “Waller” spinoff.”

Gunn noted specifically about this DCU continuity, “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.”

Integrating animation and live-action offerings will certainly be a fascinating play by the DCU if it is successfully executed. It could also open doors for exploring unified adventures in ways not possible with live-action outings alone.

More About Creature Commandos

Warner Bros. also revealed the following brief from James Gunn about Creature Commandos, initially written in 2022. The memo notes that Creature Commandos is “dark, humorous but never goofy and unsentimental, [an] adult-themed show with political storylines.”

Additionally, Gunn revealed, “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 mission. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker.”

What Is the Release Date for Creature Commandos?

There’s no specific date given for when Creature Commandos is set to premiere, so we’ll have to wait to see this cast in action. However, we now know that Creature Commandos will release on Max in December. Currently, Gunn notes, “Animatics and all recording done. Waiting on the first animated cuts.”

We did have a feeling it would be among the first DCU projects to make it to our screens. Hopefully, we’ll see a more specific release date emerge soon.

Originally published on April 12, 2023.