With The Flash set to create a fresh slate for James Gunn and Peter Safran to implement their roadmap for a brand new DCU, Superman: Legacy will be the first major release in the new universe. After scrapping the idea of a Man of Steel sequel following the axing of Henry Cavill from the role of Superman, the upcoming James Gunn project has officially entered the phase of pre-production.
However, the question that whether Gunn is still open to notes from other DC officials was recently clarified by him, as The Suicide Squad director went on to address the fans’ concerns.
James Gunn will always be open to constructive criticisms and notes to deliver the best movie
Working with big-budget franchises like DC and Marvel, directors are often used to receiving notes from studio officials, to make sure that the stories fit with their overall narrative. And James Gunn is not excluded from that list, as while working on his projects for both Marvel and DC, the director did receive notes and recommendations regarding his projects. But after being asked if it is still the case as he is now the head of DC, Gunn clarified that he still takes notes from many trusted parties.
I KNOW this is not the case for everyone (and it wasn’t always the case for me as a writer). Again, I’m blessed in this way. But that’s how notes work, and I’m not going to suddenly stop taking them because I’m the head of a studio. #writing #SupermanLegacy
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 18, 2023
Gunn further clarified that just because he is now the boss, that doesn’t result in him not respecting others’ viewpoints regarding his projects, and will always be open to constructive criticisms to craft better movies. But it appears that even before the director landed the keys to the DC universe, notes from both DC and Marvel didn’t restrict his creative vision.
James Gunn’s creative vision was never hampered by DC and Marvel
James Gunn knows how to craft a perfect superhero movie even by using several B-list characters from DC and Marvel, which are considered among some of the best stories from their respective universe. But the reason behind his success was getting the freedom to craft his own narrative in whatever way he wanted.
The director once expressed that even though the studios used to send him notes to fit their overall narrative, especially Marvel, it was never an inconvenience, as they didn’t force their vision on the director. Gun explained,
“So it’s like, they give notes. Marvel gives more than DC does to me, but they’re the same attitude of like, take what you want and leave the rest. I take a lot of them. There’s a lot of good ideas in there. Even if I don’t take them, one of the main things I do is I try them, especially while I’m editing. I try them out to see if they work.”
With the director now set to direct the biggest movie of his career about his most beloved character, taking notes and recommendations from his trusted parties has always been the priority. In the end, James Gunn is just committed to delivering the best experience for fans.
Superman: Legacy is set to hit theatres on 11 July 2025.
Source: James Gunn’s Twitter
