DC movie fans no longer need to be worried about "studio interference", James Gunn has assured. The filmmaker has been responding to various tweets from curious cinemagoers over the last few weeks and recently, he replied to one that asked him to expand on the claim that higher-up meddling is a thing of the past.
Addressing a fan on the social media site Mastodon, Gunn said that he has more control over the cinematic universe than Zack Snyder ever did, as he and his partner Peter Safran are "the heads of DC studios." He continued: "The position is different than it was. The only studio interference would be from us!"
It's no secret that a whole bunch of previous DC projects were notoriously tinkered with by Warner Bros. executives; most notably David Ayers' Suicide Squad, and Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Snyder ended up releasing a director's cut of the latter on HBO Max, having stepped away from the project during production. The four-hour outing was very different to that of Joss Whedon's theatrical version and proved more popular with critics and fans alike, earning positive reviews and 71% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- James Gunn says there are "two little things" that set up the DCU's future in Superman, but don't expect major post-credits teases: "If something’s there just to set up something else, f**k it"
- James Gunn and Zack Snyder's viral photo was posted to prove to DC fans there's no bad blood between them: "It's such a weird dynamic that's been created between factions online"
Over the years, Ayers has expressed interest in bringing out his own edit of Suicide Squad, but it has yet to become a reality. When DC and Warner Bros. released Gunn's The Suicide Squad, which featured a couple of the same characters, in 2021, an Ayer cut became even more unlikely.
Gunn and Safran seem determined to shake up the DCEU in major ways going forward, and have already confirmed that Henry Cavill won't be returning to the franchise as Superman and that there are currently no plans to develop a Black Adam sequel. Patty Jenkins is no longer attached to Wonder Woman 3, and it has also been rumored that Aquaman star Jason Momoa might be recast as DC Comics character Lobo.
For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies coming our way in 2023.
