A new day is dawning over at the newly named DC Studios, and James Gunn is playing a massive role in steering the ship. Since being named the co-head of the company, alongside producer Peter Safran, he’s been making some major moves. Many of them, like his decision not to move forward with Henry Cavill as Superman, have garnered strong reactions from fans. More recently, Gunn drew the ire of some commentators after he mentioned that some of his Guardians of the Galaxy co-stars would “probably” be part of his future superhero projects. He’s now addressed the backlash he’s faced over the sentiments.
Though he’s making plans at DC, James Gunn is simultaneously preparing for the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the final installment in his Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy. During an interview, Gunn spoke about his relationship with his cast and whether they’ll work together again in the future. The filmmaker got honest, saying that he’ll collaborate with them individually down the road and that it would likely happen “at my other job.” Some fans seemed to take issue with the idea of Gunn reteaming with the actors for productions with a different superhero brand. This led the writer/director to drop a response through which he brushed aside any kind of negative connotations surrounding potential reunions:
We have hundreds of roles to cast. As I’ve always done, some will be brand new faces, some will be actors I’ve worked with before, & some will be actors you know who I’ve never worked with. What matters most is the actor fits the role & they’re easy to work with.
He does bring up several fair points, with the first being that a plethora of actors will be needed to fill out this new cinematic DC franchise. So there are sure to be plenty of fresh faces taking on beloved characters and lesser-known ones alike. Also, it’s definitely no secret that the Super director loves to reutilize past collaborators and usually finds the right roles for them. So if any of his MCU cohorts do join him over at his new job, chances are they’ll be the right people for the job.
This latest Twitter post from James Gunn further shows how he’s aimed to be as transparent as possible when it comes to his aspirations at the Warner Bros.-owned studio. In the last month or so alone, he’s shot down rumors regarding Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise and provided clarification on the state of Wonder Woman 3. He’s also said that Superman is “a huge priority, if not the biggest” for the entertainment company.
Many seem to be particularly interested in seeing what he’ll do with the Man of Steel moving forward. James Gunn has only provided hints about his ideas, with the biggest detail being that he’s writing a story about a younger version of the hero. Some are also speculating that Grant Morrison’s work will serve as the inspiration for the reboot, though that’s yet to be confirmed. Following his Guardians comments though, the biggest concern fans might have is whether an MCU alum like Chris Pratt might end up playing Supes. It’s not totally impossible but, honestly, it feels pretty unlikely.
I have no doubt that whatever the newly installed exec plans to do will make sense and that he’ll continue to be meticulous about casting. And if that means Guardians of the Galaxy stars will be added to the mix, so be it. They’ve made magic in the superhero genre so far and can surely produce more with characters within DC’s massive catalog.
But before we get too ahead of ourselves with James Gunn’s DC plans, let’s just look forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which soars into theaters on May 5. Also, check out CinemaBlend’s schedule of 2023 new movie releases to learn when other superhero flicks open this year.
