<p>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.</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-logan-director-james-mangold-to-direct-dcus-swamp-thing-movie-heres-what-we-know-558166">Logan director James Mangold to direct DCU's Swamp Thing movie? Here's what we know</a></strong></p>

<h2>How did James Gunn become such a big name in superhero cinema?</h2>

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<p>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.</p>

<p>His next for Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 was an even bigger commercial success.</p>

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<p>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'.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/every-upcoming-dc-universe-movie-superman-legacy-the-flash-swamp-thing-and-more-558262">Every upcoming DC Universe movie: Superman Legacy, The Flash, Swamp Thing, and more</a></strong></p>

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<h2>How Gunn's association with DC for foreseeable future is great news for DC fans</h2>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>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.</p>

<p>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.</p>


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.

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. Also Read: Logan director James Mangold to direct DCU's Swamp Thing movie? Here's what we know 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. Also Read: Every upcoming DC Universe movie: Superman Legacy, The Flash, Swamp Thing, and more 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.

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

<p>DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran recently announced their vision for the first chapter of the DC Universe. Shortened to DCU, the vision&nbsp;extends to not just movies, but also TV shows, animation, and gaming. The actors will play (or voice) their own&nbsp;characters across mediums. This is something that has not been done before, as even MCU does not include games. One of the projects Gunn announced was a&nbsp;<em>Swamp Thing</em> movie, which he said will be a "very dark horror story and the origins of the monster who is Swamp Thing". And as per reports James Mangold, who wrapped up the story of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in 2017's&nbsp;<em>Logan</em>, is in talks to direct it.&nbsp;The Swamp Thing movie was the last project unveiled by Gunn.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/five-great-superhero-movies-that-are-not-dc-or-marvel-510918/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Mangold has also directed the upcoming fifth <em>Indiana Jones</em> movie,<em> Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny</em>, which will serve as the conclusion to Harrison Ford's Indy at least. He is also known for helming<em> Ford v Ferrari,</em> an acclaimed sports drama.</p>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/WCDuFtucT6">pic.twitter.com/WCDuFtucT6</a></p>
— Mangold (@mang0ld) <a href="https://twitter.com/mang0ld/status/1620686622152077313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<p>Mangold had tweeted an image of Swamp Thing on his Twitter handle, which was retweeted by Gunn. So his hiring as the writer-director is all but confirmed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/every-upcoming-dc-universe-movie-superman-legacy-the-flash-swamp-thing-and-more-558262">Every upcoming DC Universe movie: Superman Legacy, The Flash, Swamp Thing, and more</a></strong></p>

<p>Swamp Thing was created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson and first appeared in 1971’s House of Secret No. 92. Due to its popularity the character soon got his own series. But it was not until the 1980s that the character gained popularity when Alan Moore, now a reluctant legend in the medium, wrote stories about the monster.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wY8XcmrIujE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed co-CEOs of DC Studios, a rebranded DC Films, last year. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav had wanted a man (or men) like Kevin Feige as in charge of DC properties and do something similar to what Kevin Feige did at Marvel Studios.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-marvels-loss-is-dcs-gain-how-james-gunn-can-cash-in-on-mcus-struggles-to-outdo-competition-540504">Marvel's loss is DC's gain: How DC Studios can cash in on MCU's struggles to outdo competition</a></strong></p>

<p>Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with 2008's<em> Iron Man</em>, DC films have struggled to maintain momentum. The half-hearted attempt under Zack Snyder to build a cinematic universe, which began with 2013's <em>Man of Steel,</em> did not pay dividends. The cinematic universe downright failed when 2017's team-up movie<em> Justice League</em> became one of the biggest flops of the 21st century. Since then, Warner Bros (now Warner Bros Disvoery) has tried different things to salvage the DC brand's reputation -- to mixed results. It has not helped that the studio has changed hands multiple times from AT&amp;T to now Discovery after the merger. It is not as if the films are bad, as most of them were good and well-received. But there was no unifying link, nobody like Feige to pull it all together. Until now, that is.</p>

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DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran recently announced their vision for the first chapter of the DC Universe. Shortened to DCU, the vision extends to not just movies, but also TV shows, animation, and gaming.

DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran recently announced their vision for the first chapter of the DC Universe. Shortened to DCU, the vision extends to not just movies, but also TV shows, animation, and gaming. The actors will play (or voice) their own characters across mediums. This is something that has not been done before, as even MCU does not include games. One of the projects Gunn announced was a Swamp Thing movie, which he said will be a "very dark horror story and the origins of the monster who is Swamp Thing". And as per reports James Mangold, who wrapped up the story of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in 2017's Logan, is in talks to direct it. The Swamp Thing movie was the last project unveiled by Gunn. Mangold has also directed the upcoming fifth Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which will serve as the conclusion to Harrison Ford's Indy at least. He is also known for helming Ford v Ferrari, an acclaimed sports drama. pic.twitter.com/WCDuFtucT6 — Mangold (@mang0ld) February 1, 2023 Mangold had tweeted an image of Swamp Thing on his Twitter handle, which was retweeted by Gunn. So his hiring as the writer-director is all but confirmed. Also Read: Every upcoming DC Universe movie: Superman Legacy, The Flash, Swamp Thing, and more Swamp Thing was created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson and first appeared in 1971’s House of Secret No. 92. Due to its popularity the character soon got his own series. But it was not until the 1980s that the character gained popularity when Alan Moore, now a reluctant legend in the medium, wrote stories about the monster. James Gunn and Peter Safran were appointed co-CEOs of DC Studios, a rebranded DC Films, last year. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav had wanted a man (or men) like Kevin Feige as in charge of DC properties and do something similar to what Kevin Feige did at Marvel Studios. Also Read: Marvel's loss is DC's gain: How DC Studios can cash in on MCU's struggles to outdo competition Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off with 2008's Iron Man, DC films have struggled to maintain momentum. The half-hearted attempt under Zack Snyder to build a cinematic universe, which began with 2013's Man of Steel, did not pay dividends. The cinematic universe downright failed when 2017's team-up movie Justice League became one of the biggest flops of the 21st century. Since then, Warner Bros (now Warner Bros Disvoery) has tried different things to salvage the DC brand's reputation -- to mixed results. It has not helped that the studio has changed hands multiple times from AT&T to now Discovery after the merger. It is not as if the films are bad, as most of them were good and well-received. But there was no unifying link, nobody like Feige to pull it all together. Until now, that is. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Logan director James Mangold to direct DCU's Swamp Thing movie? Here's what we know

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

Logan director James Mangold to direct DCU's Swamp Thing movie? Here's what we know