James Gunn’s DC takeover with Peter Safran was a big move for the DC Studios. Following the back-to-back setbacks of its slates, the Warner Brothers-owned studio hired Gunn and Safran to give a new direction to the studio’s slates.
However, unlike Marvel President Kevin Feige, Gunn reportedly has lesser control over the studio despite being the creative head and co-CEO. Still, Gunn seems to have committed to his tenure and very much indulged in the projects.
Unlike Kevin Feige, James Gunn Doesn’t Have Total Control
Marvel President Kevin Feige has been at the top of the ladder in the MCU and acted as the primary decision-maker. However, a recent report from Variety claims that James Gunn’s DC role may not be the supreme authority of the studio, not even the creatives. DC’s parent company Warner Brothers never allowed total control of the DC landscape to Gunn.
It was indeed contradictory to Feige’s MCU role. There is no report of the Marvel Cinematic Universe being controlled by Disney. Disney hardly interferes in the matters of creatives of MCU making the Marvel President have maximum control and say over the slates coming out of the superhero-producing giant.
Marvel and Disney kept it separate, mostly. When it comes to streaming the shows, Disney doesn’t get involved in the creative process of Marvel shows let alone the movies. Feige has done an excellent job in Marvel directing the graph of success to a new height.
James Gunn Amid Max and DC
Gunn’s leadership is certainly hopeful but on the series front, he is not the ultimate gatekeeper. Reportedly, Max is closely involved with the creatives of DC’s television slates. Again, the CEO duo doesn’t have the same authority as their counterpart Marvel’s President enjoys.
A source close to Max told Variety that there is no dispute regarding the shared creatives with different companies (under the same umbrella of Warner Brothers Discovery). The collaboration of DC with Max executives Sarah Aubrey and Casey Bloys is so far “seamless” and they have been closely working for the upcoming series The Penguin.
The new report directly contradicts Gunn’s earlier statement as he claimed DC and WB have been separate. “No, they don’t. DC is separate from Warner Brothers as of a couple of months ago,” Gunn previously said (via CBR). Still, Gunn’s New DCU is in full swing and set to launch with the animated series Creature Commandos in 2024.
