David S. Goyer talks superheroes & more diversity being needed in Hollywood

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

David Goyer has been an integral part of the superhero machine that dominates Hollywood these days. Whether you like his work or not, you have to give the writer-director credit for his contributions over the years – to BLADE, to Nolan’s Bat-verse, to MAN OF STEEL, etc. – that have made comic book movies big business, resulting in more and more being in the pipeline for us geeks to consume. (Remember… we have a schedule laid out all the way to 2020 on a number of fronts.) He’s been on the ground floor for much of this, and, as a result, has a unique perspective on how it’s all come together, where it currently stands and where it needs to go.

Speaking to Jen Yamato of The Daily Beast, Goyer offered up his thoughts on a number of superhero-related topics, from his part in the construction of the DC Cinematic Universe to his involvement with SANDMAN to his belief that more diversity is needed in the system.

Regarding Warner Bros. shared superhero universe…

I didn’t want to be an architect of [the DC movies]. I love it, but I’ve done a lot of comic book stuff and I want to do some non-comic book stuff. Between the Dark Knight films, Man of Steel, and Batman v. Superman that’s five, and there are a couple others I’m involved in that haven’t been announced. It’s a lot. You don’t want to keep repeating yourself over and over again.

On working to make SANDMAN happen…

It’s very meta, and it’s challenging. There’s a reason why people have been trying to develop it for 18 years. We’re not there yet, but I think we’ve cracked it. I don’t know that I could have prior to adapting Batman v. Superman. I think I was able to step back and identify the key elements that made Sandman Sandman, and through a series of conversations with Neil [Gaiman] asked, ‘Do you think this is true? Does this feel like Sandman to you?’

On the superhero culture being more inclusive moving forward…

I think the world would be a better place if more filmmakers were either female or came from more diverse backgrounds, because there are too many white male directors. I was on the board of the Writer’s Guild and that was a big issue for us, sort of the chicken and the egg thing: How do we add more diverse voices, especially when the audience is so diverse? On the last show I was on, Constantine, I was very happy that close to half of our writing staff was either female or not white. That was something that we tried really hard to do. But females and minorities, they’re not represented in terms of the aggregate pot of writers and directors. It’s not 50/50 in terms of females. It’s a real problem.

And finally on the need for more progress being made with these movies…

I do (see it happening). Everyone is aware of the problem and wants to amend it… Nicole Perlman worked on Guardians of the Galaxy… Look, at least there’s a Wonder Woman movie going into production. There’s a Black Panther movie that’s coming. At least there’s a Captain Marvel. That is some form of progress. It’s not enough progress, but it’s something.

Goyer also hints at working on another shared universe – “I can’t talk about it” – and offers up his thoughts on the tone superhero movies could take in the near future. The guy has been in this world for quite some time, so there’s plenty of insight to be taken from his experiences. Food for thought, for sure…