During theDC Universeevent hosted by Warner Bros, James Gunn not only presented his slate for phase one, but he also got candid with media outlets regarding the road to this reboot. Although the conversation surrounds Zack Snyder’sSnyderVerse, the underlying issue of why this franchise did not succeed runs deeper than audience reception toward the films themselves.
Gunn’s DC slate for Chapter 1 has been announced, with many exciting projects on the horizon. Not only is the upcoming reboot set to narratively coincide with the current trajectory of DCEU films, withThe Flashbeing used to explain the reset through multiversal storytelling elements, but the reboot will also connect all forms of multimedia to tell one unified story. As a result of this plan, Gunn contrasted it to why the Snyderverse didn’t work, which consists of a series of films that were never truly realized due to studio meddling and poor leadership.
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In Gunn’s opening remarks at the DCU presentation (viaScreen Rant), he prefaced by stating his desire to do right by these characters, which he juxtaposed toprior leadership at Warner Bros. He explains that the Warner Bros. executives at the time would green light projects with little thought to how they would all connect, suggesting that the prior leadership had hoped for the DC brand to succeed by name alone. Gunn said, “there was never any real power given to the people in charge, and so somebody could always go over their head and do whatever they wanted." However, it is not clear whether this “somebody” refers to directors or other studio executives undermining each other.
He continues by citing how disconnected the DCEU is with examples, such as studio meddling that interfered with the theatrical cut ofJustice Leaguethat later amounted to the release ofZack Snyder’s Justice League, thus creating separate branches that arethe DCEU and the Snyderverse. He also pointed toWonder Woman 1984not being connected to the first film, the CW series existing in its own continuity, and own work likePeacemakerandThe Suicide Squad. He ends his opening remarks by calling for unification to create “one real universe - one real world.”
Snyder’s DCEU films were undermined by studio executives who had their own ideas of what would be more financially successful based on the formula of prior superhero successes, which amounted to lackluster films that drove out any voice from the creator, such as the theatrical cut ofBatman v Superman, Joss Whedon’sJustice League, and the studio cut ofSuicide Squad. The director cuts of the former two proved vastly superior, butthe Ayer cut ofSuicide Squadhas yet to see the light of day. Fortunately, Gunn understands that the creative vision for the DCEU was not problematic, but the executive forces behind that creativity were.
Superman: Legacyis tentatively scheduled to be released on July 10, 2025.
