James Gunn Finally Admits the Issue With His New DCU

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James Gunn is taking on the difficult task of revitalizing DC Studios with a fresh new universe. After a brief firing and subsequent re-hiring at Marvel, Gunn joined DC in late 2022 to guide their creative choices. This meant supporting existing projects from the previous DC Extended Universe in 2023 while simultaneously planning for a complete reboot. This created a tricky transition period, and DC won’t be able to fully start over with a clean slate until 2025, when the new Superman movie will launch the DC Universe.

James Gunn has publicly stated that one of the biggest hurdles for the new DC Universe is balancing his responsibilities as both a studio head and a director. In an interview with Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast, Gunn described his role as co-CEO of DC Studios as a new and untested approach – an “experiment.”

He pointed out that, unlike someone like Walt Disney, he remains actively involved in writing and directing his projects, including the upcoming 2027 film, Man of Tomorrow. The director also described the situation as crazy, explaining that he doesn’t always make typical, mainstream movies.

This is a first. Walt was primarily a producer, not a director, if you know what I mean.

This role is unlike anything we’ve tried before – a real first for the company. It’s unconventional, and trusting me with it might seem a bit risky, but I’m excited to explore this new approach.

I don’t typically make traditional movies, but I really enjoy creating large-scale, exciting blockbusters – that’s what I love to do. So, when I was asked about taking on this project, it felt like a good fit.

This new approach to filmmaking is key to Warner Bros.’ future success with the DC Universe. Supergirl will be a crucial test, as it’s the first DCU project launched that wasn’t directly created by James Gunn after he became in charge.

I heard James Gunn initially turned down the job completely – he apparently said ‘No way!’ because he didn’t want to just copy what Kevin Feige had already built. But then, when Peter Safran came on board as a producer, he said he couldn’t refuse the offer anymore. It sounds like Safran being involved made all the difference!

Initially, I immediately said no. I didn’t want to follow the same path as Kevin Feige. However, things changed when Peter and I started discussing it, and even he was hesitant at first.

The moment Peter took the leap, I just knew this was going to be amazing! It felt so exciting and fun, and honestly, I couldn’t resist getting involved. It was something completely new – nobody had ever tried it before, and I wanted to be a part of that.

Even though DC Studios got off to a good financial start, James Gunn isn’t yet convinced it will continue to work long-term, saying, “I still don’t know if it’s a successful experiment.”

I was really curious about this, so I decided to give it a shot. Honestly, I’m still on the fence about whether it actually works as a whole. It’s definitely been profitable so far, which is great, but it’s a huge undertaking and I’m still figuring out how much I can realistically handle.

He acknowledged feeling swamped by his responsibilities, explaining, “There’s just so much work.” This is particularly challenging because he’s responsible for writing, directing, and managing everything within a large film series. He feels there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done.

It’s been a really demanding amount of work, and that’s created a different kind of stress. It’s not about the work being difficult, it’s just that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. I’d love to get by on just two hours of sleep, but even with five hours, I still feel like there’s more to do.

James Gunn wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to lead DC Comics if he hadn’t first become a popular director with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

In 2018, Disney initially fired James Gunn before the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because of past offensive tweets. This caused significant support from both the movie’s cast and fans, ultimately leading Disney and Marvel to rehire him in 2019 to finish the trilogy.

After being let go and then brought back, James Gunn worked with Warner Bros. on the movie The Suicide Squad. This paved the way for him to later become the head of DC Studios, bringing them back together.

Can James Gunn Continue Running DC?

Since becoming head of DC Studios, James Gunn has made it a priority to personally approve every script before a movie gets made. This careful approach is why only two DC films – Supergirl, written by Ana Nogueira, and Clayface, by Mike Flanagan – are currently planned for release in 2026, as Gunn was very impressed with both of their scripts.

Due to recent changes in leadership, several previously announced DC projects are now uncertain. These include titles like The Authority, the Wonder Woman spin-off Paradise Lost, and The Brave and The Bold, which are either awaiting strong scripts or have been cancelled without public announcement.

James Gunn’s creative influence is now central to the DC Universe. He’s directly involved in shaping the stories, having written and directed projects like the animated series Creature Commandos, the new Superman movie, and the second season of Peacemaker. Because he’s overseeing these projects himself, his vision for the DCU is quickly becoming reality, with Man of Tomorrow now slated for release in 2027.

In 2026, James Gunn will be completely dedicated to his leadership position at DC Studios, as he won’t have any writing or directing credits on released projects that year. He acknowledges that it will take time to see if this new approach is successful.

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2026-02-14 12:39