James Gunn, who has undisputedly shifted his focus toward DCU after Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3, claiming to make darker and grittier films than Zack Snyder, recently unraveled his top 5 comic book films. The CEO and Head of DC Studios revealed that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool is as iconic as the Richard Donner-directed Superman (1978), starring the late, great Christopher Reeve, whose performance set unshakeable standards as Superman.
James Gunn Feels Deadpool Has More Heart Than Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld’s Comic Books
In a recent interview with GQ, James Gunn expressed his love for Tim Miller-directed, Deadpool, calling it as iconic as late actor, Christopher Reeve’s Superman (1978). The director, who is gearing up for Superman: Legacy, the much-vaunted first chapter of DC Studio, revealed his Top Five Comic Book Movies, stating:
“I am worth listening to because of the number of superhero movies I have made. Coming at no. 5 is Deadpool, and the second Deadpool 2, actually, are two of my favorite comic book movies.
They came at the heel of Guardians…They were so well-made, so heartfelt and Ryan Reynolds just kills it.”
Calling it the perfect adaptation of a comic book and quoting comic book as a “tongue-in-cheek” and “breaking-the-fourth ball-all time”, he revealed that Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool gives a little bit “more heart” than the comic book itself.
Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool film series came as a massive comeback for the actor after he represented the death of superheroes for a while with the shameful box office failure of Green Lantern. While it sounds a bit of an exaggeration to compare Deadpool with Superman (1978), the former is still charming, and sarcastic, but a different affair altogether.
Christopher Reeve’s Superman Showed Humility
During the same interview, James Gunn may have made a conflicting comparison after he referred to Deadpool as iconic as Christopher Reeve‘s Superman, an actor whose unbeatable performance as the Man of Steel, was ranked as one of the best in superhero films. Gunn stated:
“I think along with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Christopher Reeve as Superman, he [Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool] is one of the all-time great icons ever.”
Even though James Gunn as a director is a gift to comic fans, and Ryan Reynolds saved his fumbling career with Deadpool, with a performance that shook up the “status quo for action adventures starring superheroes in capes,” Christopher Reeve continues to remain the gold standard as Superman.
From beautifully capturing Clark Kent’s humility to offering justice to the Kyprtonian’s abilities, Reeve set the bar so high, that none of the Superman movies could shake to date. The Richard Donner-directed movie’s poster tagline, “You’ll believe a man can fly,” its airtight story structure and sharp dialogues continue to remain the standard-bearers to date.
Source: GQ
