Supergirl Director Reveals How Movie Fits Into James Gunn’s “Graphic Novel” Vision for DC Universe
Comic book fatigue is real and a good chunk of the burnout comes down to convoluted continuity.
What was once a fun parade of Easter eggs and post-credit stingers has become a chore to understand for casual audiences, especially as superhero-focused studios like Marvel branch out into television. The end result is a wobbling Jenga stack threatening to topple over at the slightest breeze.
James Gunn hopes to avoid that pitfall with the newly-rebooted DC Universe, which values story over franchise world-building.
James Gunn On What Separates DC Universe From Marvel Cinematic Universe
“We can enter at any location or time and tell THAT story,” Gunn, who runs DC Studios with Peter Safran, recently explained on Threads. “I dislike the idea that individual stories aren’t meaningful unless they lead to something else. People not understanding this is strange to me, because Star Wars has essentially been doing this for 50 years across movies, shows, games and books—admittedly without the tonal variety.”
“Now, this doesn’t mean there isn’t connectivity,” he continued. “The Supermansaga starts with Superman and travels into Man of Tomorrow and onward, and contains many characters we’ve introduced in other stories.”
Characters like Aaron Pierre’s Jon Stewart and Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle, for example.
“But that doesn’t mean other stories only exist to set up what’s happening there,” Gunn said. “I would love people to be seeing Clayface because it’s a great, fun horror unto itself, not because of where else Clayface will show up three movies from now.”
James Gunn attends Warner Bros. Premiere of “The Suicide Squad” at The Landmark Westwood on August 02, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.
Indeed, Clayface (co-written by Mike Flanagan) has no wider ambitions beyond the story it’s trying to tell. Aside from the introduction of what Gotham City looks like in the DCU, there isn’t a single mention of Batman or any of the Caped Crusader’s other adversaries. It effectively establishes Matt Hagen (Thom Rhys Harries) as a force to be reckoned with in the future without being heavy-handed about what’s coming next.
The best laid plans of mice and Hollywood producers change all the time due to everything from box office returns to global health crises. How many times have we seen Marvel Studios lay out a slew of major projects only to scrap them a year or two later? To whom or what were the Ten Rings transmitting at the ned of Shang-Chi? Where the heck are the Eternals? For every step forward, there’s a plot line and or character introduction that goes absolutely nowhere.
Gunn and Safran’s judicious approach of hedging their bets may not look sexy at face value, but could very well pay off big-time in the long run. So many try to fast track their answer to the MCU while forgetting its humble, slow-and-steady beginnings.
“The often cited ‘8 to 10 year roadmap’ originally pitched wasn’t only story points (although that was a part of it), but also the plan for DC as a whole,” Gunn wrote, “including focusing on diamond characters (Superman, Batman, WW) as well as smaller characters we could turn into diamonds (Krypto, Jon Stewart, Peacemaker), how we would foster filmmaker freedom; allow for multiple tones and ratings; the influences of Star Wars and George R. R. Martin; and so much more.
Written and directed by Gunn, Superman:Man of Tomorrow flies into theaters on July 9, 2027.
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