Fans of DC Comics were taken aback yesterday to learn that James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy and writer of Suicide Squad, had been named co-chairman of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. With this choice, Gunn and Safran become DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s Kevin Feige, presiding over the next decade’s worth of superhero films and bringing some much-needed consistency to the DC Universe in the process.
Variety notes, however, that the decision is very fresh and won’t affect any DC movies now under development, including the forthcoming Joker: Folie à Deux. Since Joker: Folie à Deux has been scheduled for an October 24, 2024 release and will soon begin principal photography, it makes sense not to force the story into a shared universe, especially since the previous film worked as a standalone and this didn’t harm box office draws – in fact, Joker became the highest R-rated movie ever, with over $1 billion raked in worldwide. Besides that, it’s important to tread carefully while reuniting DC’s greatest heroes. Tentpole films like Batman v. Superman: The Dawn of Justice seemed complex with an overabundance of subplots building up future franchises and a lack of focus, greatly hurting the film’s response among fans and reviewers alike because of the need to link previous DC movies.
As a result, it’s hardly surprising that Gunn and Safran have been tapped to direct upcoming DC films. Batman, the Gotham City vigilante, is another figure whose destiny is unclear. The massively successful film starring Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson, which retold the Dark Knight plot, marked the beginning of its own parallel reality. Warner Bros. has already approved a sequel, however, there is currently no set release date. Gunn’s hiring is such breaking news that we won’t know anything about DC’s future projects until then. In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of a tremendous upheaval as the company struggles to figure out its future in the wake of a merger and a number of contentious moves made by new CEO David Zaslav, the most notable of which is the cancellation of the Batgirl film for HBO Max.
Gunn will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in Zaslav’s previously disclosed 10-year strategy to revive DC’s marquee superheroes in theatres. Of course, in a few years, we’ll get to see how this turns out. Black Adam has hinted at Superman’s return, and soon we’ll find out what else the DC world has in store for us with Shazam! On March 17th, the premiere of Fury of the Gods will be shown.