James Gunn and the Future of DC Movies
Way back in 2013, the Man of Steel movie was released. While it was a great (in my opinion) Superman movie, it was more than that. Man of Steel was intended to start the DCEU, DC’s answer to the Marvel shared universe.
Over the past decade, numerous DC movies have been released, some Superman-related and some not. While I think most of the movies were pretty good (some better than others), DC seemed unable to match Marvel’s success.
There were a couple of options that were available. One would be to continue to produce and release new DC movies in this shared universe. Another would be to seek a new start, to “reboot” the shared universe and hope for a second chance.
James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired to make that second option reality. Gunn is most closely connected with the new vision, as he is more closely involved in the creative process.
James Gunn is best known for his work on the successful Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel. He also did The Suicide Squad movie for DC and the related Peacemaker TV series. Both of those DC projects were well received, at least by the critics.
Gunn has now presented part of chapter one of their ten year plan to create a new shared universe, changing the DCEU to the DCU. His vision was presented in a video released recently.
There have been mixed reactions to this. Part of the pushback he is receiving is because of the announcement that Henry Cavill will no longer be playing Superman. Cavill appeared at the end of the Black Adam movie, teasing his return, and Cavill even announced that he was back on social media. However, that is no longer the case.
Some of those who are unhappy with the removal of Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman are those who diehard Zack Snyder fans. The most dedicated of the Snyder fans hate Gunn’s plan (the little that we know of it) and actually want him fired.
I will admit that I liked Cavill and Affleck in their roles, but I also am excited about the new future for the DC Universe. The first slate of projects are as follows.
- Superman: Legacy
- The Authority
- Brave and the Bold (A Batman movie that introduces his son as the new Robin)
- Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
- Swamp Thing
- Creature Commandos
- Waller
- Booster Gold
- Lanterns (about Green Lantern)
- Paradise Lost (about Wonder Woman’s island and people)
Some people, especially Snyder fans, hate this lineup. I actually like it. I think it’s a great balance of cornerstone characters and more obscure characters.
Gunn proved with Marvel that you could take less well known characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy and make a hit. DC has an abundant collection of obscure characters that deserve their chance for the big or small screen.
However, at this point we cannot know how it will do. There have been movies that I have been super excited about that have absolutely bombed. Sometimes movies and television shows fail because they are bad and sometimes there are other factors. Only time will tell.
More than likely, one or more of these projects will be a disappointment. That is something that even Marvel is dealing with right now.
I hope that they don’t stumble with one project and then decide to reboot the universe again. These movies and shows are based on comics. Some stories in the comics are less popular than others. They just roll with it and try to come up with better stories, building on what came before.
For now, I’m prepared to give James Gunn the benefit of the doubt. I love superhero movies and I have always been a DC guy, so I am rooting for these projects to succeed.
