From getting fired from Disney to receiving significant backlash for his past criticisms about Burton and Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies, James Gunn’s past has come to haunt him on several occasions. But being exiled from the House of Mouse ended up working in the acclaimed director’s favor, following the success of The Suicide Suad and as of 2023, he is now the new CEO of DC.
But interestingly, before becoming DC’s new boss and crafting The Suicide Squad, Gunn was initially offered to tackle DC’s big guns, which he turned down because it wasn’t fun.
Tackling Superman Didn’t Seem Fun to James Gunn
While James Gunn has a pretty personal connection with the character of Superman, the director wasn’t initially on board to tackle a project involving the Man of Steel or any of the other big DC names. Considering Gunn is pretty fond of bringing unknown misfit characters to the big screen, which didn’t have to live up to any set expectations, this wasn’t the case with Superman, Batman, etc. Eventually, he settled with The Suicide Squad, and with full control over his project, Gunn succeeded in crafting arguably the best film in the entire DCEU. Per EW, he said,
“Things like Superman, Justice League, people have so many ideas about who they are that it seems like less of a fun playground,”
Although some are still skeptical about Gunn’s vision for the DCU, following his impeccable track record and his love for comic books, it’s not hard to see why he was picked as DC’s new boss.
James Gunn Is Pretty Confident About Superman: Legacy
Despite rejecting the offer of Superman years ago, James Gunn kept thinking about how to build a Superman film, which not only is true to its roots but also brings something new and fresh to the table. Although finishing the script for the upcoming Superman: Legacy was a taxing process for the director, he expressed he loved how the script turned out and is having fun moving on with the film.
Speaking with Michael Rosenbaum on the Inside of You Podcast, Gunn said,
“I love the script, and people love the script, and so like I feel great about the script… I felt a sh-tload of pressure at the beginning.”
Although not everyone is happy with the new regime, following the axing of the struggling DCEU and Henry Cavill, it’s reasonable to be optimistic about the new Superman and DCU.
Superman: Legacy will hit theatres on 11 July 2025.
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Inside of You
