When the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger was completed a little over a month ago, questions about the direction of the newly-established mega company Skydance, the formation of which required massive investments from Elon Musk, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, were myriad. For moviegoers, one of the biggest concerns was the future of the DC Universe. Co-executives James Gunn and Peter Safran had been at the helm for four years, and the results were mixed. Gunn’s “Superman” was a blockbuster, while “Peacemaker,” “Creature Commandos,” “Lanterns,” and “Clayface” were popular with fans. They stumbled badly with Craig Gillespie’s critical and commercial flop “Supergirl,” but a course correction seemed to be on the horizon with the Man of Steel sequel “Man of Tomorrow.”
Evidently, something or someone changed Ellison’s mind over the last month because Gunn and Safran are out. It’s a stunning reversal of fortune for the duo, but at least Gunn and Safran had time to write this statement:
“Four years ago, we set out to unite DC under one creative vision. In that time, we helped restore Superman to the heart of DC, while opening new doors and telling new stories in film and television with ‘Peacemaker,’ ‘Creature Commandos,’ ‘Lanterns,’ and ‘Clayface.’ We’re immensely proud of the team that turned that ambition into something real, including the actors, crews, and executives we had the opportunity to collaborate with. We’ve shared a creative history with (new DC Studios head) Jeremy (Latcham) going back to Marvel, and we’re eager to see the perspective he brings to DC’s next chapter. We’re excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love, including the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in ‘Man of Tomorrow.'”
James Gunn is ready to be a ‘pure’ filmmaker again
James Gunn also took to Instagram to issue his own statement. He thanked fans for their support, adding:
“When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, Missouri, I used to write and draw my own comics with a mix of DC Comics characters and my own characters. Having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true. I didn’t know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity. I’m glad I took the job.”
Yet, despite the “highs” of “Superman,” “Clayface,” and the upcoming “The People vs. Gorilla Grodd” and “Man of Tomorrow” (which he called “the best experience of my life”), Gunn admitted that he disliked “the at-times corporate nature of the job.” He then apologized to his wife Jennifer Holland for being preoccupied with the massively demanding gig of being a filmmaker and a studio executive, explaining:
“And the thing my ADHD hyperfocus has had the most difficulty with has been dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much and all the things I have to do as a studio head.”
Maybe that’s why he didn’t mention “Supergirl” in either statement? Anyway, Gunn closed out his statement by saying he’s excited to get back to “pure filmmaking,” which suggests to me that he’s eager to make a non-superhero movie for the first time since 2006’s gleefully gross alien horror comedy “Slither.” (Admittedly, Gunn’s 2010 film “Super” wasn’t a traditional superhero movie, but it was a riff on the genre.) I wish him the best, and congratulate him for not having to work for David Ellison much longer.
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