Since the success of The Dark Knight trilogy, DC films have failed to reach the same critical claim. It was rebooted in 2013 with the Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder, and followed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now we have a new direction for the studio with James Gunn at the helm.
The MCU on the other hand seems to be finally falling apart with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder receiving polarizing reviews. Its shows also seemed to have missed the mark with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Ms. Marvel, dividing many fans.
The failure of DCEU
Now called DCU, the franchise faced difficulties with creative control and high fan expectations. Despite being the most hyped DCU production, Zack Snyder directed Justice League became one of the worst-received DCU film, even though it introduced Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman.
One of the main issues many fans had with the film was the uneven tone and the unlikeable characters, which was attributed to Joss Whedon’s reshoots. This resulted in a fan campaign to have Zack Snyder’s cut of the film released, and it did in 2021.
The film received wide critical and fan acclaim, with many finding the Snyder Cut largely superior. In the end, despite all the support, the studio decided to end the Snyderverse and move in a different direction, leading to many standalone films such as The Batman and Joker.
What does the leadership of James Gunn bring?
Becoming the biggest change new CEO David Zaslav brings to DC films, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been appointed as co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios. Supporting his decision, David Zaslav released a statement, noting:
“DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team.”
James Gunn originally directed The Suicide Squad, a soft reboot of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, and also worked on the DC show Peacemaker, both of which were well-received by fans and critics alike.
Is James Gunn the Snyderverse-killer?
Despite the delight of many DCU fans that the franchise will finally have a single vision, some “Snyder-cultists” have denounced the appointment, calling it the final nail in the coffin for Snyderverse.
They’re not DC fans, they’re Snyder cultists.
Any real DC fans would be happy about a huge comic book fan like James Gunn being the new creative head.— Mark Stephen Ford (@MarkStephenFord) October 25, 2022
Check out: Restore The Snyderverse: Will New DC Studios CEO James Gunn Bring Back Zack Snyder?
Wait shouldn’t they be happier now?? 😂 Gunn and Snyder are friends so Zack’s chances of directing another DC movie are a lot higher now than they were before. They act like Zack invented DC or something, it’s annoying af
— zZz (@BURG_LORD) October 26, 2022
Also snyder and gunn made films together already (dawn of the dead) if anything this means snyder might be back for mos2 under gunn
— Dikki Spinaj (@LeroyDikkispina) October 26, 2022
These claims arise in contrast to James Gunn’s good relationship with Zack Snyder. The Guardians of the Galaxy director had previously hired stunt coordinator Wayne Daglish on the recommendation of Zack Snyder, underlining the trust between the two directors.
Snyder cultists:
Snyder and Gunn: pic.twitter.com/0vmzVsgKpF— Jose Colella (@JoseColella84) October 26, 2022
A lot of people seem to think that Gunn being in charge of WBD means there's no hope of Snyder coming back, when it's pretty much the opposite?
The door didn't close, if anything it opened a bit more. pic.twitter.com/s37BBjvR5d— ᴇᴠᴇʀɪᴋ (@Copperlockscum) October 25, 2022
Furthermore, if Zack Snyder’s films do still have the potential to be successful, it’s highly likely that James Gunn will greenlight more of his films, considering their good relationship. So actually the inverse is true, James Gunn’s appointment will increase the chances of Zack Snyder returning to the DCU.
Source: Twitter
