This summer I visited the James Gunn film set Superman as principal photography was wrapping up in Cleveland, and today we can share what the writer and director told us.
While the animated series Creature Commands is currently airing on Max and is technically the first canonical story in the new DC Universe, Superman
represents the effective beginning of the remixed franchise under the leadership of Gunn and producing partner Peter Safran, who together serve as co-CEOs of Warner Bros.' DC Studios division. That means a lot is going on Superman to establish the new structure for the franchise going forward.
This means Superman should it also serve as a launching pad for what comes next? That's not how James Gunn is planning or thinking about the future, despite there having been more than a dozen projects announced since the pair took over the lead roles at DC Studios.
In our on-set group chat, I asked James Gunn if there are stories or a lot of screen time dedicated to setting up what's to come. after Superman.
James Gunn: Zero. Zero. I mean, maybe two little things, two moments, but basically, if there's something there just to set up something else, fuck it. I even say that. And from what I know, these things might get cut when we get to the editing room because something has to be there for this movie. And if that works in conjunction with creating characters that exist in other media, then that's great. If that sets things up in “Peacemaker,” which it does, then it’s great. But that will never, ever, with me, be something that I will sacrifice even one moment or one beat in a story, especially a movie. With TV, you have a little more tolerance for doing that. But in a film, every beat has to be present in the film itself.
Would this also apply to video games? Will these be standalone stories too?
James Gunn: Everything needs to stand on its own. I don't want anyone to go see this film and depend on anything else. Now listen, when we get to the end, this might change a little. In [Guardians of the Galaxy]What did you need to see in Guardians 3 to really understand it? It would be better if you saw the first two Guardians, but until Infinity War, I explained the entire plot in an elevator. It's like trying to keep things as simple as possible so you don't have to do homework, especially TV shows that some people don't like.
For the future of DC Studios, overall canon and continuity are secondary to the quality and integrity of individual stories. That's why James Gunn isn't too precious about interconnectivity or the strength of teasers for what's to come. It can't be either way, as he and Peter Safran took control of DC Studios at a time when there were still leftover films coming from the old guard (Flash, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) and films that were outside the old shared universe (The Batman Part II, Joker: Folie à Deux).
Some excerpts from Gunn himself Suicide sequel and Peacemaker are carried forward as they creatively choose which actors, characters, and stories to keep, while others are discarded as the Justice League special appearances Peacemaker season 1.
Characters will move around, and story threads or shared elements of plot and lore will, of course, be seen throughout the DC Universe stories to come. The goal, at least in Chapter One: Gods and Monsters – the first phase of the new DC Universe – is to ensure that projects are only greenlit if the script is ready, and only released when they are completed as intended and can continue. their own. Some projects will move and some may be added or reworked based on this. That's what Gunn and Safran told us when they showed us their initial ideas for the DC Universe in January 2023 when we visited Warner Bros.
James Gunn is a lifelong fan of comic book characters for decades before becoming involved with Marvel Studios, and he inherently understands how stories work in the complex source material. Most importantly, he knows what works and what doesn't in film adaptations, working and succeeding within the Marvel system and again through his work at DC (The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker) leading to its current role.
Marvel found itself scattered after an unprecedented era of interconnected theatrical storytelling, where viewers were trained to see each chapter of its stories to understand what comes next. It then quickly launched character-based shows on Disney+ at a time when the reception (and box office) of Marvel's theatrical releases were taking a hit, struggling to balance being new but beholden to the stories. previous ones. It became homework to follow along. It doesn't help that Sony's Marvel brand Spider-Man All of the spin-off films also failed critically, further painting the “Marvel” brand in a negative light.
From what Gunn tells us, and from what he and Peter Safran have been saying since the beginning, every story has to be worth it moving forward. And they will explore different genres with different classifications and audiences, each intended to be its own thing rather than required viewing to see what comes next. There will be Creature Commandos characters in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, but you won't need to see all of them. And you don't need to see Superman to enjoy Supergirlwhich is next in line for theatrical release.
Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
Upcoming DC film releases