“He contacted me to express his support”: Zack Snyder Blesses James Gunn for New DCU Despite Ousting His ‘Forever’ Superman Henry Cavill for Being Too Old

James Gunn’s new DC universe took shape soon after the changing of the old guard. The franchise that is now being built upon the collective grief and hesitation of the existing fandom was lacking in one simple factor – a nod from the maestro whose creation was demolished in order for DCU to rise from the rubble. It now looks like that factor too has finally been achieved and the people no longer have any reason to not move on from the past and accept the new changes that James Gunn has been offering to us since his arrival.

James Gunn and Zack Snyder Have a Talk About the DCU

The SnyderVerse era has been collecting dust for the past 6 years, but a momentary sigh of nostalgia was exhaled when the director of the DCEU returned to finish what he started by releasing Justice League Snyder’s Cut on HBO Max in 2021. The demand for Zack Snyder to then finish his promised 5-part Justice League series, of which two are still left, has since made the fandom’s priority list. After #RestoreTheSnyderVerse failed to succeed in the long run, new hashtags have taken up arms at Twitter surrounding the old franchise’s fate.

However, James Gunn, who has promoted an open line of communication between himself and the larger fandom at hand, has now responded to one such hashtag that asks for the SnyderVerse IP to be sold by Warner Bros. to Netflix. As such, Gunn has also revealed that he and Zack Snyder have had a talk about the current DCU slate and that the latter has given his blessings to DC’s new endeavor.

He contacted me to express his support about my choices. He’s a great guy. Again, he seems really happy with the massive world building he’s doing now.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 9, 2023

These revelations come in the aftermath of a counter-argument from James Gunn while responding to a fan promoting the SnyderVerse sale. Gunn’s new tweet now works to not only pacify a new mutinous uprising on behalf of the SnyderVerse but also establish a system of functional hierarchy at Warner Bros. The residual tension and resistance that the fans had toward the new DC Studios chief for his removal of Henry Cavill are also settled, once and for all, especially without the added leverage of pitting James Gunn against his predecessor and their different approach and mentality.

Also read: James Gunn Kicked Out Ben Affleck From DCU and Batman Franchise Because of His Age

On the other hand, this new hashtag on Twitter – #sellthesnyderversetonetflix – rises after Zack Snyder signs a deal at Netflix to build his Rebel Moon duology. After delivering an immensely successful zombie apocalypse film, Army of the Dead, the director now hurtles toward an epic sci-fi narrative inspired by the Star Wars franchise. The director’s stay at the streaming service had then led to the formative idea that SnyderVerse could very well continue at Netflix, only if Warner Bros. would sell its rights to the streamer.

Also read: ‘You can never be Zack Snyder’: James Gunn Divides DC Fans as He’s Reportedly Replacing Snyder as Superman: Legacy Director

Why the Netflix SnyderVerse is a Logistically Terrible Idea

Primarily, the idea for a SnyderVerse sale not only questions the legitimacy of Warner Bros. as a studio but transfers a dormant asset over to a streaming service that has no connection whatsoever to WB. In terms of the technicalities of such a sale, it is a huge amount of money that needs to go into buying the rights of a DC property from the studio juggernaut.

Considering Netflix is ready to pour enough money into the deal, there will be a lag in the production lineup of all its ongoing original as well as commissioned projects to make up for the negotiations, and until profits start coming in at the streamer, its own film and series properties will have to take a backseat in favor of the larger and overshadowing SnyderVerse.

Also read: Netflix Won’t Save SnyderVerse Because Zack Snyder’s Justice League 2 Will Eclipse Every Other Netflix Project

The resurrection of the SnyderVerse at Netflix will essentially pit the universe parallel to the new DCU. Warner Bros. will hardly voluntarily want to shift the limelight away from its formative creation – one that decides the fate of its survival (considering how much effort has been put into making that happen after a thorough restructuring). Not to mention, the effort at helming a universe away from its parent company is culpable and a logistical impossibility.

James Gunn kicks off his DCU Chapter 1 with Superman: Legacy, set to premiere on July 11, 2025.

Source: Twitter | James Gunn