James Gunn details the differences between his current role in shaping the DCU and Zack Snyder’s in DC’s cinematic past. Snyder arrived at DC in 2010, after being hired to direct the Superman movie that would become 2013’s Man of Steel. He would go on to direct two more DC movies: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the latter being a special director’s cut that debuted on HBO Max last year after an extensive fan campaign. Aside from that, however, Snyder has been largely removed from the DC world since he left the production of Justice League.
Gunn detailed the different conditions of his DCU role compared to Snyder’s past DC role in response to a fan on the social media site Mastodon. The fan noted their concern over the possibility of DC Studios overriding Gunn’s decisions, as well as that of future DCU directors, something Snyder dealt with during his movies. “The position is different than it was with Zack, etc. Peter & I are the heads of DC Studios. The only studio interference would be from us!” Gunn replied.
What Could Be In The 2023 DCU Slate Reveal
Gunn has revealed that the first look at the slate for the new DCU will be revealed in early 2023. Naturally, audiences took to social media to speculate which characters could have projects lined up. Luckily, Gunn cut the wait short by sharing the first reveal of a DCU movie, announcing a Superman reboot sans Henry Cavill. Cavill’s Superman exit was explained by Gunn as simply being due to the movie focusing on a younger Clark Kent. Gunn is currently writing the screenplay, which is said to feature Clark as a reporter for the Daily Planet. Beyond that, the project remains tightly under wraps.
The news of Cavill’s Superman exit, which came after he returned just two months prior in the post-credits scene of Black Adam, shocked audiences. It led to bigger questions regarding the futures of the other established actors within the DC Universe, such as Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman). Amid the chaos of several conflicting reports, Gunn revealed that Green Lantern will be important to the DCU, giving a major hint that the character will be present on the DCU slate that’ll be announced in 2023. However, it isn’t yet clear which version of the hero fans should expect to see.
Other characters that could join Superman and Green Lantern in the new DCU are the ones Gunn has developed over the last few years. Gunn’s first job at DC was also a reboot, with the director being in charge of 2021’s The Suicide Squad. The movie did away with the excessive edginess of its predecessor, 2016’s Suicide Squad, and instead soft rebooted the franchise with Gunn’s characteristic use of humor and emotional twists. A Peacemaker spinoff show was made for HBO Max based on John Cena’s role in the film. The series became one of DC’s most popular projects. Given the positive fan reception, the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker will likely continue in the DCU, perhaps with projects announced in 2023’s slate reveal.
Source: James Gunn/Mastodon