The news that James Gunn is no longer running things over at DC Studios came as a legitimate shock to pretty much everyone. The man behind the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy took over as co-CEO and co-chairman, along with Peter Safran, after the success of The Suicide Squad and reportedly had a 10-year plan in place. We have already benefited from some of Gunn’s vision, as Superman, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Supergirl, Clayface,and Lanterns have all been released to varying degrees of success. Even with the box office flop of Supergirl, it feels like Gunn’s first year or so in charge was going well.
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The plans going forward, including Man of Tomorrow, Creature Commandos Season 2, and projects involving Wonder Woman and Batman, felt like they’d take DC to the next level. Many of those films and shows will likely never see the light of day as former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham is taking over. Latcham has a strong track record, but that might not be enough. There’s a very good chance that yet another reboot of DC on the big and small screens is enough to drive even the most loyal fans away for good, and we honestly completely understand.
DC Studios Has A Poor History Of Inconsistency So Far
It’s unfortunate, but if there was one word that could describe the history of DC Comics on the big screen, it’s inconsistent. The franchise has had some great hits like The Dark Knight, Superman,Joker, and Aquaman, but plenty of misses like Suicide Squad,some of the original Superman-related sequels, and, most famously, Justice League. When the DCEU launched, it was clearly intended to compete with the MCU, which added pressure to the projects. The MCU was putting out nothing but hits, while the DCEU struggled to do the same.
Man of Steel got them off to a solid start, but Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was a critical misfire. Suicide Squad furthered those struggles and while Wonder Woman was a massive improvement, Justice League basically killed the franchise’s goodwill. They still had some later hits, but again, consistency was their biggest problem. Not being able to hook viewers at every turn stalled the DCEU’s momentum and the franchise never gained it back. It looked like James Gunn was slated to turn things around for DC.
The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker were well-received, as was Superman, which was also a box office success. Gunn’s TV shows like Creature Commandos and Lanterns were also hits, so it looked as if, even with Supergirl flopping, he’d get to continue. The MCU took a while to truly get rolling, so other comic book franchises should have the same leeway. With so many changes over the years due to inconsistency, going in another direction feels like a huge gamble.
DC Movies & Shows Are Too All Over The Place For Most People
It’s hard to believe that audiences will latch on to another attempt at a shared universe, especially now that several of them have fallen by the wayside. If everything is intended to connect, then it needs to do that well. Even the MCU has struggled with that since the days of Avengers: Endgame. DC could go a totally different route and not have everything connect. They could put out stuff like The Batman, Harley Quinn,and Doom Patrol, which have no connection to each other. It should be an all-or-nothing situation, but DC has opted to try both and it gets messy.
Over the past decade, we’ve had both Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson as Batman, while Gunn had plans for another iteration in The Brave and the Bold. Unless you follow this news closely (and those fans are likely going to these movies either way), it’s hard to keep track. When you say you like Harley Quinn, you could mean Margot Robbie, Lady Gaga, or Kaley Cuoco. For casual viewers, that often feels like too much to keep track of, which leads to waning interest. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is as popular as it gets because he’s our only live-action Spidey besides past actors who returned in 2021. That’s easy for everyone to follow.
The idea that DC Studios is getting yet another overhaul is exactly the kind of thing that will drive away casual audiences. As great as these characters are and as impressive as the DC universe is, people don’t really have a reason to believe that DC movies or shows are going to be worth investing in. Their track record is simply too spotty. The best bet for the next era of DC Studios is probably to just do individual releases that don’t connect, as that would be easier to grab viewers who aren’t quite ready to trust the franchise again. Otherwise, there’s a good chance people won’t be willing to give DC Studios another shot.
What are your thoughts on the future of DC Studios? Are you ready to give them another shot? Let us know in the comments!
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