As the DC/James Gunn saga continues, fans have been vocal online about his controversial decisions. Not only is Gunn insisting his vision for the studio will not be influenced by the community of fans who call for his firing, but Collider now reports that Gunn has said that the DC films will no longer face any studio interference. Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran are said to have outlined a ten-year plan for the universe.
Recently, Gunn responded to a fan comment on the newly launched social media site Mastodon, where he assured fans that he will not be facing the same trouble former DC universe overseer Zack Snyder had faced. The fan showed his support, saying, “As long as the studio doesn’t override you and your directors at every turn, I for one have confidence that you’ll actually be making decisions for the DCU that I can get on board with.” To which Gunn replied, “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!”
Zack Snyder was initially appointed to be the DC film equivalent of Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige, where he would not only be directing Superman films but also direct the path the universe would be taking with its overall arc. After Man of Steel was met with criticism, Warner Bros started to tweak his films to the point that the Justice League movie barely resembled his vision and Suicide Squad became a hodgepodge of scenes that didn’t utilize the director, David Ayers’ original story intent.
Just before Gunn and Safran were named the CEOs of DC, Dwayne Johnson had publicly announced his plans for his new Black Adam origin story to be the introduction to an eventual superhero throwdown with both him and Henry Cavill’s Superman. Fans were ecstatic when Cavill announced his return, hoping to get the chance to portray Superman to his fullest extent. In the wake of Gunn and Safran’s ten-year outline, they claim to restart a continuity with a younger Superman, and therefore, Cavill was relieved of his role, and further Black Adam movies were canceled.