M3GAN director reveals Justice League Dark plot - and how it could fit into James Gunn's DCU

Justice League
(Image credit: DC/Warner Bros.)

M3GAN director Gerard Johnstone has revealed plot details from his Justice League Dark script.

"It was just a tough time for DC...I was told that they don't want to spend money on another new movie with a bunch of characters no one's heard of, and I understand that. It was a shame," Johnstone told Screen Rant, adding that he wrote the script after watching Guardians of the Galaxy.

"But I really was just halfway through the scriptwriting process with that one. So Deadman, Swamp Thing, Constantine, Zatanna. I felt like Zatanna was actually the main character, and there was a lot of the conversations and jostling I had with the guys, because they were like, 'Constantine's the main character,'" he explained. "I was like, 'No, Constantine's kind of the coolest character. But Zatanna is really the main character.' Because she's discovering her magical powers for the first time. But it was fun, man. The characters all went to hell to get Zatanna's dad."

Justice League Dark is comprised of supernatural superheroes that deviate from the classics like Superman and Wonder Woman – though Johnstone admits he was unfamiliar with DC at the time of penning the script and that Wonder Woman was actually his favorite character.  James Gunn and Peter Safran announced a Swamp Thing movie as part of their new DCU slate, so Justice League Dark could absolutely fit into the mix.

Johnstone added: "I would love to sit down with James Gunn and talk about it, for sure."

Superman: Legacy, the first movie in Gunn and Safran's new DC slate will be released globally on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our guide on how to watch the DC movies in order.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.