Being part of a superhero franchise is a privilege and a responsibility. James Gunn has had the rare distinction of working with two major comic book franchises Marvel and DC. After bringing quirky and obscure Marvel superheroes to the fore in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, the director has now jumped camps to become the head of DC where he is already on course to bring about a radical facelift to the franchise.
With his stint at Marvel coming to an end after the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, James Gunn is all set to bring DC to the fore. One of his first projects will see the director helming a high-profile film involving DC’s greatest superhero.
James Gunn Is Now Ready To Take On Superman
The new head Of DC James Gunn is already working on overdrive to create a new and improved look for the franchise and its films. Using the expertise that he gained from Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Gunn aims to take DC to the next level. One of the biggest movies that will come out of the DC camp will be Superman: Legacy, a completely fresh take on the Man of Steel which will be directed by Gunn himself. The filmmaker confessed that he was not always enthusiastic to take on the celebrated superhero and his legacy.
“It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them. People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman. How can I make it different from the Superman movies that have been made so far, but also have it respect all the Superman movies that have been made so far?. So it just took me some time to try to figure it out”.
Gunn further added that true to the film’s title, his wish was to make a sincere superhero movie that will respect the legacy of Superman as portrayed in the earlier films by Zack Snyder. After his very public ousting of Henry Cavill as Superman, it remains to be seen who Gunn will cast as the Man of Steel in his film.
James Gunn Has Chris Pratt to Thank For Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 which will release in May, will be the last of a hugely successful series helmed by James Gunn before he officially continues his duties as DC head. But things were not always smooth through his journey with Marvel. In 2018, Gunn was fired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after decade-old tweets in which he joked about r*pe and p*dophilia resurfaced on Twitter.
The director though received unstinted support from his actors headed by Chris Pratt who went above and beyond to get him reinstated. Pratt drafted an open letter to Disney using his association with the Kennedy family through his mother-in-law Maria Shriver. With her guidance in producing drafts along with inputs from the rest of the cast, Pratt made sure that this signed letter had the desired effect to ultimately get James Gunn back on board.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 releases worldwide in theaters on May 5th, 2023
Also Read: After Henry Cavill, James Gunn’s ‘Superman: Legacy’ Reportedly Recasting Iconic SnyderVerse Villain
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
