James Gunn Helping Put The DC Universe Together
Here's what James Gunn had to say about the DC Universe.
This article is more than 2 years old
The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe saw Warner Bros. try to catch up with the DC Extended Universe. Now, that playing field looks much different as DC has done standalone movies like Joker while having interconnected movies like the recent The Suicide Squad. It can be a bit confusing, and James Gunn recently spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about where the DC universe is heading.
James Gunn recently released The Suicide Squad, which will tie into his HBO series Peacemaker in January 2022. While not specified, he did say that it will have ties to “other DC properties.” He used that as an example of how DC’s vast universe is still being utilized, and it is not all being thrown out to make standalone installments like next year’s The Batman, which will take place on Earth-Two. The filmmaker did reveal that Warner Bros. is trying to make things fit better than what it did early on with movies like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the two Wonder Woman blockbusters.
Yeah, I think that there’s definitely an eye. I got a lot more of it after the movie was made, frankly, because they’re really just trying to make everything fit together much better. And I know a lot of it because of working on Peacemaker and doing that, which is definitely connected to The Suicide Squad and it ends up being connected to other DC properties.
James Gunn
In the eyes of James Gunn, it is a positive thing that a balance is being made. Fans will get to follow the story of Harley Quinn (played by The Wolf of Wall Street‘s Margot Robbie) as she grows from Birds of Prey to The Suicide Squad, or you can hop into watching next year’s The Batman that separates itself from Ben Affleck (Argo) in Batman v Superman and both cuts of Justice League.
Last week The Hollywood Reporter had a story, which confirms our original report from last month, that James Gunn is set to do more with DC in the future. His worldbuilding capabilities will continue as he talks to the studio about new projects. The director has been vocal about his ideas, and it would be not surprising if we see him have another go with the characters in his latest comic book movie or bring other characters to life on the big screen. Either way, the DC Extended Universe seems like it is going to continue to grow and will feel like the Guardians of the Galaxy director’s style that is equal parts heart, humor, and carnage.
The firing and rehiring of James Gunn at Marvel opened the door for DC. The Suicide Squad is his first step into the other side of the mainstream world of comic book movies. His take is not quite a sequel to David Ayer’s (End of Watch) 2016 movie, but something that strikes the balance of being a standalone entry while connecting the greater scale of the universe.
The Suicide Squad is currently in theaters and on HBO Max. The James Gunn movie has one of the biggest rosters of actors of the year. The lineup consists of Margot Robbie, Idris Elba (Hobbs & Shaw), John Cena (F9), Joel Kinnaman (Altered Carbon), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, First Blood), David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man and the Wasp), and Viola Davis (Fences). Other big names featured consist of Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), Nathan Fillion (Castle), Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), and Pete Davidson (The King of Staten Island).
