James Gunn Has Revealed DC’s Biggest Priority
DCU fans are waiting on pins and needles to find out what is happening next with their favorite franchise as James Gunn and Peter Safran stay tucked away to map out their ten-year plan. While the fans have received some disheartening news in the last week, they got a glimmer of hope when James Gunn took to Twitter to answer a question about his plans for Superman. When asked a question by a Twitter fan if we could expect the big blue boy scout on screens soon, the director responded that he is a top priority.
The 44th anniversary of the release of Richard Donner’s Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, sparked the question from @DrDarkArcher about the possibility of getting the red cape back on screen. With Reeve’s portraying the quintessential comic book representation and the blueprint for superhero movies for the next thirty years, it makes sense that the fanbase would be looking to the director for hope. James Gunn responded by saying that Superman is a top priority and then doubled down by commenting that he may be the number one priority.
DCU fans didn’t start their Christmas holiday out well with the news that Patty Jenkins (who wrote and directed the first two Wonder Woman movies with Gal Gadot) would not be returning for the third installment. That news and the rumor mill spinning with the info that Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam was on the chopping block due to a lackluster performance caused fans to begin worrying about their newly returned Henry Cavill. While James Gunn didn’t specify which Superman he was planning to include in the franchise, he provided hope that he wasn’t jumping the shark with his and Peter Safran’s new plan.
It isn’t far-fetched to think that the new heads at Warner Bros. Discovery look lovingly at the idea of a fresh start, with their predecessors heading a franchise marred by turmoil. The core of their franchise Jason Mamoa, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, and Ezra Miller, have experienced nothing but problems from the word go, beginning with Henry Cavill’s divisive debut in Man of Steel. Fans haven’t seen his return to the cape in a solo movie since 2013; nearly ten years later, fans are hoping James Gunn can revive Superman for the long-suffering fanbase.
Out of that core, the fans have lost Ray Fisher due to the conflict between him and Warner Bros. after they backed Joss Whedon during accusations of toxic behavior on Justice League. They lost Ben Affleck when he struggled with alcoholism, and they can only imagine that after Ezra Miller’s troubled Flash releases to theaters, they can say goodbye to him. The only two of the core that seemed to be safe were Jason Mamoa and Gal Gadot, but with the rejection of Wonder Woman 3 by Patty Jenkins, the end of the Snyderverse finally seems solid.
James Gunn revisiting the possibility of Superman doesn’t have to be either Snyderverse or bust; there is another beginning already started out there if felt so inclined. The massively successful Matt Reeves take on the Dark Knight in The Batman could serve as a backdoor launching point for the new direction. Either way, Gunn and Safran decide to go; a fresh start is a must, with or without Henry Cavill.
