James Gunn is in the early stages of his tenure as the co-CEO of DC Studios, but he's already addressed fan campaigns for projects like the Arrowverse and Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad within the DCU.
Following his appointment to the highly-coveted leadership position for Warner Bros., Gunn now has the intense responsibility of mapping out the DCU’s extensive future. But while he has every intention of looking forward to new frontiers, there are a couple of lingering projects from the past that still have fans deep in discussion.
Included in this is the Arrowverse, which is currently on its last legs with the ninth and final season of The Flash preparing for its run on The CW in 2023. On top of that, there is a renewed cry for David Ayer to see his director’s cut of 2016’s Suicide Squad brought to life following the same treatment for Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021.
But looking at Gunn’s own goals for the larger DCU in its new era, the new DC CEO has his eyes facing purely forward for the time being.
DC Studios Head Speaks on Fan Rescue Campaigns
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn took to Twitter to discuss part of his mission for the overarching DC Universe, including listening to fan requests to save certain scrapped projects.
Gunn shared that he saw a number of tweets from fans asking for the Arrowverse and Ayer Cut to be saved and/or released, most of them being "enthusiastic & respectful:"
"Opened up Twitter at the end of a long, creative weekend to see the many tweets to #SaveLegendsOfTomorrow & #ReleaseTheAyerCut & fan support for other DC projects over the years. The majority of these requests were enthusiastic & respectful."
He explained that as the first leaders of DC Studios, he and co-CEO Peter Safran feel it's important to "acknowledge...the fans" as they look at different things they want to see for the future of the DC Universe:
"As the new (& first ever) CEOs of DC Studios, Peter & I think it’s important we acknowledge you, the fans, & let you know we hear your different desires for the pathways forward for DC."
And while he may not be as active on Twitter with his new position, he shared that he's "listening & open to everything" as he looks ahead to his next task:
"Although our ability to interact on Twitter has been lessened due to the workload of our new positions, we are listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey, & will continue to do so for the next few years."
This came as part of a broader tweet noting how Gunn's first focus is "on the story going forward" and building the new DCU as it's meant to be told:
"But all our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects."
What Does DC Studios Have in Store?
The DC Universe has gone in so many different directions over the past decade, James Gunn already has quite a full task list looking at what's been done before and what is still in store.
The Arrowverse is already in serious danger of ending after The Flash Season 9, with executives from The CW looking at their budget constraints for projects like the ones that have pushed the franchise forward already. And even though David Ayer and fans alike have made their voices heard about his cut of Suicide Squad being released, there are no signs pointing to him actually getting the green light to make it happen.
The DC and Marvel mainstay acknowledged the challenges ahead of him as he looks to get the DCU into a coherent state, but right now, he already has plenty of future stories on his plate while the past entries remain in the past for now.
But that isn't slowing his ambition down for one moment, as Gunn also expressed his goal to create "the biggest DC story ever told" as he maps out the journey of DC's biggest heroes and villains. The details of that story haven't been put to paper yet, but with Gunn's tendency to make something huge out of little to nothing, there are sure to be some major surprises coming in the near future.
