James Gunn’s DCU will soon be in full flow, with the director already proving his version of the franchise is better than its predecessor.
SUMMARY
- James Gunn’s openness and honesty with fans on social media is a refreshing change from Warner Bros.’ previous lack of clarity regarding the DC Universe.
- Gunn and Safran have a clear vision for the DC Universe, with a planned slate of films, unlike the disjointed nature of previous DC films.
- Gunn’s interactions with fans on social media have provided insight and clarity into the direction of the franchise, fixing the issues of confusion and backlash that plagued the former Snyderverse.
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe will soon begin in full, with the former already proving that the fledgling universe is an improvement on its predecessor for one specific reason. Before Gunn and Safran, DC Studios was run by Walter Hamada. Under Hamada’s leadership, the then-named DCEU continued to be confusingly produced, to say the least. While it seemed like Hamada and Warner Bros. wanted to move away from the so-called Snyderverse, the release of films linked intrinsically to Snyder’s films, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League itself, only muddied the waters of the franchise’s direction.
Hamada stepped down from his role in October 2022, only for Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director Gunn and his collaborator Safran to be announced as DC Studios’ new heads in November of that year. This came as a welcome surprise to many, with Gunn proving he could make exceptional superhero properties from Marvel and DC alike. Despite Gunn’s success as a filmmaker, one other specific aspect is proving how his iteration of the DCU will be better than the last.
James Gunn’s Openness With Fans Improves Warner Brothers’ Past
James Gunn has a strong online presence and has been quite open on Twitter with fans (and detractors). Gunn often takes to Twitter to shoot down or confirm rumors about his upcoming DC projects. This might seem groundbreaking for DC fans, purely given the complete lack of clarity Warner Bros. had employed with DC properties since Snyder’s exit from Justice League in 2017. With Gunn, though, the filmmaker is open, honest, and clear about his and Safran’s process for the upcoming universe.
On December 15th, 2022, Gunn proved this openness in a Twitter thread outlining many different details regarding his and Safran’s new DC slate. Firstly, Gunn confirmed that he and Safran do indeed have a slate planned out, something that Warner Bros. past producers have failed to do since Snyder left the franchise. In this thread, Gunn confirmed that he is developing a Superman film without Henry Cavill, as well as revealing that Ben Affleck will be involved in the universe as a director. This, combined with his confirmation that no actor has been cast as Superman despite rumors, proves Gunn’s clarity about where the franchise is going.
Interactions on social media (predominantly Threads, as of late) have continued, as Gunn has responded to fans’ questions, compliments, and criticisms about DCU and Superman: Legacy news. These responses have then been further shared by fans, helping Gunn’s thoughts be quite easy to follow for those that are interested. The level of interaction may or may not continue once the DC Universe is going in earnest, but, even if not, it’s been a refreshing start.
James Gunn’s Interactions Prove He Is Fixing A Major DCEU Problem
This clarity fixes the issue of Warner Bros. being frustratingly unclear in regard to the former Snyderverse, but it fixes another issue regarding the movies themselves. While Warner Bros. and Walter Hamada did have a plan of sorts, it boiled down to having a slate of films that were either very loosely connected or completely detached from one another. They also went back and forth on their connection to the Snyderverse. This largely led to confusion and backlash as it was unclear whether the DCEU wanted to continue the Snyderverse characters and stories or move away from them.
From films such as Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Black Adam, and The Flash to standalone films like Joker and The Batman, which were completely separate universes, Warner Bros. never really had an interconnected slate of movies to build a universe. With Gunn and Safran, though, this issue is clearly being avoided. Gunn and Sazfran have laid out a much more clear vision, which already shows the improvement over the disparate nature of the DCEU. This alone proves how the DC Universe will fix the former franchise’s issues, led purely by the refreshing devotion Gunn shares to openness and honesty with audiences.
