Sean Gunn Teases His Approach to the DCU’s Maxwell Lord

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As a long-time comic book enthusiast and moviegoer, I must say that the upcoming DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran is nothing short of exhilarating! The casting choices, particularly Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, have me buzzing with anticipation. Although his role in Superman isn’t confirmed yet, the set photos hint at an intriguing connection to Lord Tech that I can hardly wait to uncover.

James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe is gearing up for full-scale action, as the initial cinematic venture, titled Superman, is set to debut on the big screen next summer. The broader franchise has already announced several unexpected castings, such as James Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn portraying business magnate Maxwell Lord. Though it hasn’t been confirmed that Gunn’s version of Maxwell Lord will appear in Superman, photos from the set suggest that his company, Lord Tech, plays a crucial role within the superhero community. In a chat with The Wrap, Gunn hinted that when we eventually encounter his portrayal of Lord, it will have a unique connection to the comics.

“Gunn shared that he doesn’t want to delve deeply into the subject, but he did mention having conversations with his brother James regarding the pertinent source material from the canon for his creative process. He also expressed his affection for creating his own music.”

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“Gunn added, ‘I can’t reveal too much, but we did discuss pertinent resources and thoroughly examined the character previously. There were no references to any live portrayals of the character. All our insights come from written sources.'”

Who Is DC’s Maxwell Lord?

Introduced in Justice League #1 (1987) by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire, Maxwell Lord IV initially appears as the covert sponsor of the Justice League International lineup, with ambitions to reshape the superhero team on a global level. However, the team is unaware that Lord was being influenced by an extraterrestrial computer system. Eventually, he breaks free from this control and assumes a more questionable business persona.

During the Infinite Crisis, Lord transformed into a supervillain. This transformation was triggered by his covert actions of gathering intelligence on the entire superhero community with the intent to betray them. The storyline began with him mercilessly killing Ted Kord and culminated in Wonder Woman snapping his neck, a moment that was captured on camera and broadcast globally. However, he was later resurrected, maintaining his role as both a formidable enemy and an enigmatic ally within the DC Universe. Previously, he has been portrayed by Peter Facinelli in The CW’s Supergirl, and by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984.

The DC Universe Slate

The initial lineup for DC Studios’ DC Universe will feature movies like “Superman” (2025), “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow” (2026), as well as upcoming films such as “The Brave and the Bold,” “Swamp Thing,” and “The Authority.” On the television front, they plan to debut an animated “Creature Commandos” series, continue with the second season of “Peacemaker,” and introduce future shows titled “Waller,” “Booster Gold,” “Lanterns,” and “Paradise Lost.” Additionally, there are reports of an animated “Jurassic League” film and a live-action “Teen Titans” movie in development, although DC Studios has yet to officially confirm these projects.

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In January of 2023, Gunn clarified that while many assume it will be similar to Marvel 2.0, there are significant differences. He highlighted that unlike Marvel’s organic development, their project has a well-planned central story from the start because they’ve collaborated with a team of writers to fully outline it. Additionally, he emphasized that their universe will resemble both Star Wars and Game of Thrones in terms of multiple timelines, locations, and morally complex characters.

Superman will be released exclusively in theaters on July 11, 2025.

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2024-08-17 07:09