DC Studios roped in James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs in hopes of changing the fortune of their superhero movies after seeing strings of DC Extended Universe movies tank at the box office.
The brain behind Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy certainly appeared to be a fine choice, but as far as the performance of DCEU movies under Gunn’s short reign so far is considered, things haven’t changed much, with the likes of The Flash and Blue Beetle also joining the long list of flops.
Regardless, how Gunn’s time at DC would be judged entirely depends on his revamped DCU which is set to be kickstarted by high-profile movies like Superman: Legacy and The Batman – Part II. But it seems he wasn’t a big fan of how DC dealt with the Batman franchise in previous years.
James Gunn Deactivates Facebook Account as DC Fans Find His Old Batman Comments
James Gunn appears to be in full creative charge of Superman: Legacy and is set to direct the movie. But DCU’s second big project, The Batman – Part II, will be overseen by Matt Reeves. He will have a big task at his hands, as it seems Gunn, who previously prominently worked with Marvel Studios, didn’t fancy the way Bruce Wayne was shown on the big screen.
Industry insider MyTimeToShineHello shared screenshots of his comments posted to Facebook in 2012. They show the filmmaker taking a dig at Michael Keaton’s Batman’s “ridiculous voice”. He wasn’t also best pleased with how Tim Burton’s Batman was written and thought it was “one of the most boring films ever.”
Further, the 57-year-old didn’t really like Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. He commented: “I have problems with both of Nolan’s films – I don’t think either one is classic, and I don’t even really think Batman Begins is good.”
Jack Nicholson’s stint as the Joker in the storied movie got the most scathing comment, with Gunn saying: “f*ck you, everyone involved in that travesty.”
As these comments resurfaced, DC’s dedicated fans naturally didn’t take Gunn’s stance kindly, with some even questioning if he was the right fit to lead the very same franchise as DC’s co-CEO. However, it now seems The Suicide Squad director has taken a drastic measure, apparently deleting his personal Facebook account. Do note that his professional page on the social media site is still active.
Whether the supposed step taken is due to the comments on Batman movies and the subsequent angry reactions from DC fans remains unknown. But this isn’t the first time the I Am Groot executive producer has found himself in hot water over his social media antics.
Why Was James Gunn Fired From Marvel in the Past
In 2018, Gunn was overseeing Disney’s Guardians of the Galaxy series as director, but after his controversial jokes made between 2008 to 2012 on Twitter (now X) reemerged, Disney decided to part ways with him.
In his attempt to provide context concerning his past Tweets, he wrote: “Many people who have followed my career know when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I’ve developed as a person, so has my work and my humor.”
Considering the success of the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies (both grossed more than $700m) the decision from Disney, despite the nature of Gunn’s tweets, surprised many.
As expected, he was reinstated for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. The movie starring Chris Pratt as Star-Lord was also a success, making over $845 million globally at the box office.
Source: The Direct
