Hollywood had nothing but admiration for the director/producer James Gunn when it was revealed that he would be in charge of the DC Studios film slate. Audiences have been speculating about whether DC would create its own shared universe ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuted with Iron Man. Warner Bros. and DC decided it was time to build their own universe with Man of Steel after The Avengers’ popularity and The Dark Knight Rises’ divided reception. With the Batman v Superman release and a slew of movies that primarily damaged DC’s ability to compete with Marvel, what should have been a definite hit turned into a fiasco.
Enter James Gunn, who took over directing duties for the DC movie The Suicide Squad following a brief falling out with Disney and Marvel. The movie, a stand-alone sequel to David Ayer’s film, received positive reviews from critics. Some even cited it as one of the best DC films ever made. Despite the movie’s failure at the box office, it received enough support for a sequel called Peacemaker. Fortunately, Peacemaker also received excellent reviews and opened the door for more work for Gunn at DC. As Gunn was appointed the new director of the renamed DC Studios, what had initially been a small endeavor developed into something better.
DC’s cinematic history has always been a tremulous affair. Before 2013, Superman and Batman movies made up most of DC’s film schedule. However, as the company tried to branch out with pictures like Catwoman and Green Lantern, their critical and box office disasters scared the two actors away from trying to adapt any other of their characters for a while. Man of Steel gave them the boost they needed to come out of their shell. However, with criticism being leveled at their lack of focus and hurried production, it needed to be clarified what was ahead for them. When DC got into trouble over Ray Fisher’s fallout and their handling of Ezra Miller, many people began to doubt whether they would ever get their act together.
With James Gunn in command, viewers and fans can relax knowing that a seasoned comic book film director is in charge. James Gunn won over many fans with The Suicide Squad and definitely won over DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Audiences should anticipate hearing many fantastic things from them, including the potential Man of Steel sequel, which is apparently seeking writers right now, and Henry Cavill’s recent comeback in Black Adam, even though their present production is modest. The future of DC Studios appears to be bright, despite the fact that it is currently being determined if Gunn plans to collaborate with directors like Zack Snyder once more.
