With James Gunn at the helm, DC can beat Marvel at its own game

DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and producer Peter Safran recently unveiled the first part of their vision for DCU (DC Universe), which is not just a cinematic universe, but also encompasses live-action television, animation, and even video games. The DC brand has had a rocky journey when it comes to the cinematic universe. Gunn and Safran were called "complementary" talents by Zaslav when they were hired, and indeed while Gunn grew up reading comics, Safran has a knack for financing projects with box office potential. But it is Gunn in particular who is ushering in a creative turning point in DC Extended Universe. I explain. Let's begin with the basics.

How did James Gunn become such a big name in superhero cinema?

Gunn has been in the 'big 2' (Marvel and DC) superhero business since he helmed 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. it is a credit to his writing and filmmaking that some of the obscure characters in the comics populated the cast of one of that year's best superhero movies. The film featured a found family of the galaxy's biggest rejects, two of whom were not even human, and one of them was a robot. And yet infused with his unique brand of humour, solid writing, and a talented cast of actors and voice actors, the film became a huge hit and also impressed critics.

His next for Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 was an even bigger commercial success.

But in 2018, when the third Guardians of the Galaxy film was in development, Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios. The reason for the ban was his old tweets in which he appeared to joke about paedophilia and rape. The tweets resurfaced after US conservatives shared them after he became vocal in his criticism of the Donald J Trump presidency. Hours after the tweets appeared, Disney ended any association with him, including the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' franchise in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This allowed Warner Bros to recruit him for a DC movie. He chose a soft reboot of the 2016 movie 'Suicide Squad'.

The film, called The Suicide Squad marked Gunn's return to films with a bang. It released in 2021 and starred a huge cast of actors Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, and Pete Davidson.

Apart from The Suicide Squad, Gunn also wrote and directed a John Cena-fronted spinoff series called 'Peacemaker' for HBO Max, which was also received well.

How Gunn's association with DC for foreseeable future is great news for DC fans

As we have established, Gunn is a really good superhero movie director. He grew up on a steady diet of comics and has repeatedly shown an uncanny knack for crafting moving stories with multiple, varied characters forgetting their differences and coming together for a common goal. With 'Peacemaker', he proved that he is good with sole characters as well if it allows him to dismantle the character in his own way and instill his irreverent humour.

DC has suffered for a long time without any lasting skipper to direct things. There have been competing visions, execs who have disagreed over the direction the properties should go in, and so on. What the company needed at this time is somebody exactly like Gunn: who has a proven track record in the genre and is a geek and knows these characters well. Under Gunn and Safran, the future of DC films is bright.

As you saw from the film slate Gunn and Safran unveiled, they realise that introducing marquee characters like Superman and Batman all of a sudden may backfire. Audiences, instead, should be lured into the universe gradually.