If you haven’t heard, filmmaker James Gunn lined up a major leadership position with DC and Warner Bros. last month. The Suicide Squad writer/director was tapped to serve as the co-CEO of the newly established DC Studios, which he’ll run alongside producer Peter Safran. In this new position, the two will oversee development on the brand’s film, TV and animation ventures. As a result of his new position, a number of fans have been reaching out to him over social media, asking about various things like the infamous “Ayer Cut” of 2016’s Suicide Squad and a potential revival of The CW’s Legends of Tomorrow, among other things. Gunn, who never hesitates to reach out to folks over the web, has now issued a response.
Those who are familiar with the superhero corner of social media are probably aware that #ReleasetheAyerCut and #SaveLegendsofTomorrow have been trending as of late. There are also plenty of other notable hashtags that have been making the rounds, such as the seemingly always-present #RestoretheSnyderVerse. James Gunn returned to Twitter this weekend to recognize the fans’ passion and address how he and his partner plan to handle viral interactions like these moving forward:
Opened up Twitter at the end of a long, creative weekend to see the many tweets to #SaveLegendsofTomorrow & #ReleaseTheAyerCut & fan support for other DC projects over the years. The majority of these requests were enthusiastic & respectful. As the new (& first ever) CEOs of DC Studios, Peter & I think it’s important we acknowledge you, the fans, & let you know we hear your different desires for the pathways forward for DC. Although our ability to interact on Twitter has been lessened due to the workload of our new positions, we are listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey, & will continue to do so for the next few years.
Over the past several years, the fan-favorite director has been a significant presence on platforms like Twitter and Facebook. In most cases, he’d share updates on his latest productions and answer general questions. It’s going to be weird not seeing him online as often, but it’s good to hear that he still plans to be around when he’s able. While he also said that he and his collaborators are "open to everything," he did make one thing clear about the company's direction moving forward:
But all our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects. We invite all of the DC fandoms from across the multiverse — and everyone else as well — into this new universe. We can’t wait to reveal more.
While nothing seems to be totally ruled out, that's far from a solid confirmation on projects like Suicide Squad or Legends. If the company isn't focusing on them right now, that would make sense, though. The Guardians of the Galaxy director and Peter Safran’s hirings represent the beginning of a new era for DC. So the entertainment entity (and parent company Warner Bros., by extension) don’t seem to want to retread old ground. It’s bittersweet for sure but may end up being the best decision in the long run.
So far, fans have been pumped about James Gunn’s new role and they’re not the only ones. Marvel Studios Kevin Feige also reacted to Gunn’s gig at DC with the perfect response. Feige acknowledged that the filmmaker still has to finish work on Guardians Vol. 3 and that cosmic Holiday Special but also said that when Gunn is done with those, he’ll “be first in line to see anything he does.”
James Gunn himself also seems to be enjoying things so far, and he issued the perfect response to his first day at DC. Though he’s clearly still going to have fun with his work, his latest comments on the direction of the company further indicate that he, Peter Safran and their collaborators are already making plans. And regardless of whether those ideas involve Suicide Squad or Legends of Tomorrow, I’m still eager to see what’s to come.
You can watch a number of past DC movies by streaming them with an HBO Max subscription. Also with the Scooby-Doo scribe now in the big seat, there are a few DC characters you’ll want to watch moving forward.
