For years leading up to the release of Black Adam Dwayne Johnson talked about how the balance of power in the DC Universe was going to change. It turned out he was right, but not necessarily about anything that happened on the big screen (that remains to be seen). The week after Black Adam hit theaters, we have seen a major shakeup in the management of DC’s film production, with the announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran will co-head the DC Studios division of Warner Bros. Discovery. Fans, as you can imagine, have many thoughts on this.
The duo previously worked together on Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie and Safran also produced Shazam! and the Aquaman movies. Gunn famously came over to work on his DC project after it looked like his days at Marvel were over, but now he’s running the show at DC. Gunn himself, who is well known for telling fans to not put too much stock in rumors, made sure to confirm himself the news was true.
Accurate. So pleased to be here. #DC pic.twitter.com/KpvdME4PjuOctober 25, 2022
Fans of DC movies, James Gunn, or just movies in general, have a lot to say on the topic. For the most part, people seem to be very positive on the decision. Safran has a proven track record of success as a producer in general but specifically within the DC sphere. And people who know James Gunn and his love for comic book material are excited to see what this pair can do.
Congrats James. Good for you, and so good for the movies. 🤘🏻👁🤘🏻October 25, 2022
Gunn and Safran will essentially be playing the role at DC Films that Kevin Feige has at Marvel Studios, and it’s been said more than once over the years that having somebody with a strong vision like Feige is a big part of why Marvel has found success while DC’s big screen experiences have been down as often as they’ve been up. But since Gunn also has a strong relationship with Marvel, and has expressed interest in a Marvel/DC crossover, at least one fan is dreaming big about the future.
Kevin Feige said “never say never” to a Marvel and DC crossover. Now James Gunn is DC Studios President 🤔 Will we ever see The Avengers with The Justice League!? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ST2APt8gxbOctober 25, 2022
There is, to be sure, one contingent of DC movie fans who aren’t quite as high on the hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran, those who have continued to hope for DC to return to Zack Snyder and his Snyderverse. The recent return of Henry Cavill as Superman had been seen as a positive step in that direction, but this move is seen by many as a clear indication that WBD is not going to embrace the Snyderverse. However, not every fan of Snyder’s DC films is quite so pessimistic.
While I'm not a fan of James Gunn's humor, I don't expect that he will be forcing this onto other directors/writers who work on DC projects & it's important to remember that he has a good relationship with Zack & appreciates his workOctober 26, 2022
This is certainly a huge move for James Gunn, who started his career working for Troma, has made movies for both Marvel and DC, and is now going to be running the show for DC. He’s also the guy who wrote a pair of live-action Scooby-Doo movies for Warner Bros., which does cause the mind to wander…
Dear @JamesGunn, now that you've got a crazy amount of sway......what are the chances of getting a live action version of THIS? pic.twitter.com/4BC0uFZks6October 26, 2022
It is, of course, far too early to have any guess how DC Studios will change going forward under new management. There almost certainly will be changes, but nobody really knows what they will be and it will be at least a couple of years before we really see them start to take shape. There will be those who love what comes next and those that don’t, but it’s unlikely anybody will be able to say things haven’t become very interesting.
