The massive revamp of the DCU franchise, which is being orchestrated by acclaimed director James Gunn, is a huge move in one of the most lucrative niches of the film industry that’s undoubtedly being closely watched by fans, be it those of the comics and/or those who liked at least some of the previous cinematic adaptations. The person whose perhaps most aware of the near-astronomical expectations of what’s to come is of course Gunn himself. In a report from The Direct, the director recently sat down with the Inside of You podcast for an interview about the road ahead with the DCU, and how he expected backlash from the moment of the first announcement.
James Gunn is no stranger whatsoever to superhero films. He first helmed the dark superhero comedy Super (2010), which starred the likes of Rainn Wilson (Dark Winds), Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy), Liv Tyler (Ad Astra), and Kevin Bacon (You Should Have Left). He then broke into the Marvel scene with Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), a very unique new ensemble installment in the MCU that people initially underestimated until it blew everyone away at theaters. Gunn followed it with two more incredible sequels, the latest being Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which released this past May to universal acclaim and nearly a billion dollars at the box office. With that sub-franchise alone Gunn had definitively made his mark in the land of superhero cinema, but he was nowhere near done yet. He went on to helm a somewhat different, standalone superhero horror film called Brightburn (2019) which took a far darker take with what appeared to be the origin of Superman, but it’s never actually indicated. He also see-saw’d over to the DCU to direct the sorely awaited reboot The Suicide Squad (2021), which debuted to immense accolades from fans after the unfortunate fallout with David Ayer’s rendition of the ensemble story.
Gunn Knows a Thing Or Two About Power and Responsibility
With the proper experience under his belt, and trust from studio executives and fans alike, Gunn decided it was time for the DCU to get a much-needed philosophical intervention and took over the entire franchise, earlier this year announcing his official plan to start it from square one. He also provided the blueprint for what he called “Chapter One” of the new DCU, outlining the first dozen or so film and television projects under the title “Gods and Monsters”. Even with his carefully concocted vision for the future, however, Gunn came to the table bracing for backlash that he knew would inevitably come from at least some of the fan demographic. In his podcast interview with Inside of You, he remarked:
“I knew that there was going to be many challenges as we embarked on that journey, because people have different ideas about how things are supposed to be. People have all sorts of things that they love whether they love things from the DCEU, or they love things from the Arrowverse, they love things from the animated worlds, or whatever, that is something that we knew was going to be a ring of fire we were gonna have to walk through.”
He also noted how one of the main deciding factors for him to take on the enormous responsibility was the invitation of his longtime creative collaborator, Peter Safran.
“What made it [DC Studio’s role] appealing to me eventually was because they also went to Peter early on. And he was like the same way. But what eventually became appealing to me was doing it with Peter [Safran],”
Also, when asked about the ongoing discourse surrounding “superhero fatigue”, noted by dwindling box office turnouts and overall lackluster impressions with newer titles in both the MCU and DCU, Gunn had this to say:
“It doesn’t have anything to do with whether they’re superhero movies or not. If you don’t have a story at the base of it, just watching things bash each other, no matter how clever those bashing moments are, no matter how clever the designs and the VFX are, it just gets fatiguing, and I think that’s very, very real.”
Gunn is currently hard at work on his first personal installment in Chapter One of the DCU, titled Superman: Legacy, with hints at potential cast favorites circulating social media. Blue Beetle, which has since been confirmed to be part of the DCU, is set to premiere in theaters later this summer on August 18.
