James Gunn’s DC reboot has raised a number of questions, and fans are questioning various decisions such as ending the SnyderVerse, replacing Henry Cavill for the role of Superman, and many more. Among those people was Chuck Dixon, who expressed his opinions on James Gunn’s reboot and he had a lot to say.
Chuck Dixon is the legendary DC Comics writer, and he is the one who created Bane, the Batman villain alongside Graham Nolan and rejuvenated Firefly. He has written for a variety of series which includes Batman, Robin, and Nightwing. He is known for his fast-paced action writing style, creating compelling and dynamic storylines.
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What Did Chuck Dixon Say About James Gunn’s DCU Ideas?
In a recent episode of Ask Chuck Dixon #130, Eric Morin asked Chuck Dixon to express his views on James Gunn’s plan for the DCU to which Chuck Dixon gave a negative reaction, he called the plans a ‘wishlist’ full of ambitious stuff, and some of the things which are a part of Chapter 1 is just present to check boxes. Chuck Dixon reveals that he has never seen a DC movie, never-liked any DC movie, nor he’ll be watching one in the future. Here’s what Chuck Dixon said in the interview:
“Well, it kind of looks like a mixed bag, to me. I got to wonder if Gunn’s proposed list is for real, is it a wish list, are these things actually going to be put on a schedule? It seems like an ambitious list. Seems like a lot of stuff. It seems like he’s gonna be writing a lot of it. I mean, if he writes all the things he says he’s going to write he’s not going to be leaving the house anytime soon.”
“But I got to wonder, is this just a pie in the sky, is this just a wish list,” he reiterated. Some of the things seem extremely underwhelming. Some of the things seem to exist only to check boxes. Quite frankly, I don’t care. I know you don’t want to hear that, but I don’t care. I’ve never seen a DC movie, DC-based movie that I’ve liked ever. And I don’t think I’ll ever see one. And now that they’ve moved far, far away from the source material I really just have no interest.”
Chuck Dixon’s disappointment is understandable as many fans are disappointed at James Gunn’s decision and some fans of the DCU believe that a movie adaptation fails if it doesn’t have the same essence as the source material.
Why is Chuck Dixon Unhappy with James Gunn Handling all the Upcoming DCU Projects?
Chuck Dixon question appreciates James Gunn’s work in Guardians of the Galaxy but he also points to his other works which are average. He even questioned the decision of James Gunn to be the co-CEO of DC Studios, as he does not know what the fans want, and his undertaking all the projects is risky because everything would be under him and the story would be told from the perspective of one guy. Here’s what Chuck Dixon said:
“The choice of Gunn to basically be the basket they put all their eggs in, I don’t understand it given his track record. Yes, he had enormous success with Guardians of the Galaxy, but if you look over the rest of the films he’s been involved with it’s okay. I mean they earned money. They weren’t blockbusters. They weren’t huge. Really, the only big thing he was involved with was the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.”
“While I find a lot of his stuff entertaining, over time you kind of see the notes coming. I’m kind of familiar with his repertoire. I don’t see how it’s going to translate to DC, and I don’t understand why in an industry like entertainment where everything is about conservation of risk you would hand over everything to one guy.”
“Now, I understand there’s other films that in production that he won’t be involved with, but the idea is, as I see it, is that once all of those films are finished and released everything coming out of DC in movies and television is going to be Gunn. All Gunn all the time. I just don’t see how you can take a slate like that and have any hits. There’s no diversity of thought or approach. Everything is going to be seen through the lens of one guy.”
“For some reason, I don’t think James Gunn is a Louis B. Mayer. I don’t think he knows what the audience wants.”
Fans believe James Gunn is one of the biggest names who has worked with both, that is, Marvel and DCU. James Gunn’s vision and camera vision are immensely loved, his ideas and filmmaking have led to some of the best superhero characters, and he not only focuses on action but also on humor which makes the films equally loved by the fans and the critics. However, Chuck Dixon is also right that it would stop the opportunity to show the story from a different perspective, making the movies and series monotonous.
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What is the Main Problem with James Gunn’s Reboot?
Chuck Dixon believes that the main problem with James Gunn’s plan is that it is based on comics that have been released within the last decade, and it is disappointing because those comics fail to display the core DC stories. No matter how many reboots would take place in the DCU, the new comics are nothing compared to the core comics. Here’s what Chuck Dixon said:
“The other thing I find perplexing is that so much of this new material is going to be based on relatively new comics. Comics that appeared within the last decade or so. These are not core, basic DC properties or DC stories.”
“These are like recent reboots, reiterations, or reimaginings. And that’s fine except they’re not comics that sold particularly well. They’re not record breakers. They might have been among the best-selling things at DC, but that’s kind of like saying, ‘Well, this turtle came in first in the turtle race.’”
“It’s not going back to the classic material. It’s also not going back to material that I think is going to find a universal audience. So for me it’s both concerning and I don’t care. I really don’t care,” he concluded.
It is questionable to say right now if the new movies and series would be loved or hated, as they are still in production with no announcements regarding the cast. Therefore, it is too early to comment on the final result. However, fans believe that James Gunn is the person who can save the DCU, and even though he has made some decisions that have divided the fans, everyone believes that he is committed to making DCU the biggest franchise in the world.
Source: YouTube
