With so little time until The Suicide Squad is unleashed to the public, many early reviewers believe that the James Gunn film is among the best the DCEU has to offer. After making his comic book movie name with the trailblazing Guardians of the Galaxy franchise in the MCU, Gunn found himself with the chance to make a similar impact on the DC Extended Universe.
After eight years and eleven(ish) movies ranging in both quality and reception from audiences, Warner Bros. finds itself at a crossroads with the DCEU between a continued attempt at continuity and a soft-reboot gamble. They have chosen to do a little of both.
James Gunn is the man they have assigned to attempt the later path with The Suicide Squad, and despite not knowing exactly how well it will be received by wider audiences, WB is putting their money on Gunn.
JAMES GUNN IS NOT DONE WITH DC MOVIES
In a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, DC Films President Walter Hamada confirmed that Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director James Gunn will return for another DC project. Hamada stated “He’ll be back. We have more stuff planned.”
The head of DC Films also praised Gunn following his work on The Suicide Squad ahead of its release, saying “Gunn is always welcome back, whatever he wants to do. He really has a vision and he’s a great partner with us. Whenever he wants to come back, we’re ready for him.”
The silver-haired director has already wrapped filming on the upcoming HBO Maxx spinoff to The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker. This is the first time Gunn has been confirmed to be involved in a future DC movie.
THE DIRECTOR DC DESERVES
Since its inception in 2013, the DCEU has had a void requiring a singular visionary presence, similar to Kevin Feige's role with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The handling of this void has been riddled with controversy and backlash from fans and actors alike.
Despite Zack Snyder getting some form of severance with Zack Snyder's Justice League on HBO Max, some fans wonder what could have been had Warner Bros. committed to Snyder's vision for the DCEU rather than pivoting once the ball was in motion. While those fans still fight for Snyder's vision to be played out with the #RestoreTheSnyderVerse movement, Warner Bros. might be looking at another proven visionary to lead their most polarizing IP.
This report does not confirm that James Gunn will be leading the charge for the overall narrative of the DCEU after The Suicide Squad, but it does ensure that Gunn's presence will continue to be felt.
After what he was able to do with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 & 2, many were confident that James Gunn was the perfect fit for the soft-reboot of DC's band of misfits. Despite some concern that Gunn was going to attempt to turn the Suicide Squad brand into an MCU knockoff, he produced a fresh and innovative product, while maintaining the core value of Gunn's former films: heart. It seems like Warner Bros. and Walter Hamada want more of that.
What prevents this from being a fair comparison to the Zack Snyder saga is the amount of control James Gunn has and will surely continue to have over his projects. Snyder was famously hand-cuffed by the decisions of various executives at Warner Bros. Allowing Gunn to plan, organize, execute his vision to its highest potential lead to a breath of fresh air in the DCEU.
While it is highly unlikely that James Gunn will have a Feige level amount of control on the DCEU moving forward, it seems more likely than not that he will at least be a major influence on the tone and culture of the DCEU for the foreseeable future.
