In unexpected news yesterday, James Gunn was announced as the new co-CEO of the newly formed DC Studios at Warner Bros. WB had reportedly been on the hunt for a Kevin Feige-type to oversee their live-action slate of DC movies and shows and it seems like the Guardians of the Galaxy director was the right man for the job.
Gunn, a self-professed superhero and comic book fan, served as director of The Suicide Squad for DC in 2021 and also acted as executive producer on the film’s spin-off series, Peacemaker. He also directed and wrote the series as John Cena continued his story from The Suicide Squad.
Of course, Gunn has been working in Hollywood for a long time and is well-liked by those he’s collaborated with. As such, several of his colleagues have chimed in on social media, congratulating him on the new gig.
MCU and DCU Stars Congratulate Gunn
Once the news broke that James Gunn had completely jumped ship to DC as the new co-CEO of DC Studios, quite a few people in Gunn’s orbit took to various forms of social media to express their excitement and congratulations.
Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn replied to another Tweet from February regarding someone wanting James Gunn to “take over the DC Universe” by adding: “A soothsayer AND great taste in basketball teams,“
Smallville star Michael Rosenbaum, who also appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Martinex, tweeted: “FREAKING AWESOME BUDDY. LOVE IT and LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!”
Scott Derrickson, director of Marvel’s first Doctor Strange film, posted the following:
“Congrats James. Good for you, and so good for the movies.”
And on Gunn’s Instagram post announcing his new job, a cavalcade of Marvel cast and crew commented to share in his joy:
Edgar Wright, who almost directed Ant-Man, wrote: “Wow! Amazing!”
Zachary Levi, formerly Fandral in the Thor franchise and presently Shazam, said, “Congrats, boss.”
Nebula herself, Karen Gillen, added “This is excellent.”
Kumail Nanjiani, Kingo in Eternals, shared his hopes for an incredibly obscure DC hero to be brought to life under Gunn’s leadership:
“Absolutely fantastic news. Can’t wait for a series of Ambush Bug movies.”
Black Panther and Creed Micheal B. Jordan star commented with six fire emojis in a row.
Jamie Alexander, the MCU’s Lady Sif, said “Congrats, man!”
Always Sunny‘s Glenn Howerton, famously almost cast as Marvel’s Star-Lord responded with “Whoa! Wow! Amazing, James!!”
Hollywood icon Sylvester Stallone, who has acted in multiple James Gunn movies wrote:
“Best of life my friend! They finally got it right and let the brilliant talent run the machine!!! Keep Punching , James!”
Pom Klementieff, who plays Mantis in the Guardians movies posted three party popper emojis.
Nico Santos from the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 commented, “CONGRATS!!!”
Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sanberg retweeted the news and added “Very exciting!!”
Patrick Schumacker, EP on the Harley Quinn animated series, posted “YESSSSSSSS” and a heart emoji in response to the announcement.
Additionally, various DC actors and others reacted to Gunn’s initial Instagram post.
Jai Courtney aka, The Suicide Squad‘s Captain Boomerang wrote, “Huge”
Viola Davis, who plays ARGUS head Amanda Waller in several DCU films commented, “Woooooohooooo!!!!!!!”
Nhut Le, Judomaster on Peacemaker, added “Huge congrats to you and Peter! DC Studios is in great hands!”
Peacemaker star Danielle Brooks chimed in with, “This is amazing news!”
Flula Borg, who portrayed Javelin in The Suicide Squad, reacted with “yes!! SO döpe james!!”
Candice Patton, television’s own Iris West on The Flash, said “This is HUGE!”
And finally, Star Wars legend Mark Hamill was sure to comment with “For James: Congratulations”
James Gunn Is Up to the Task
Becoming the leader and visionary for the DCU is no mean feat, but James Gunn’s body of work firmly suggests that he is more than capable of taking the reigns of the live-action DC Universe.
He’ll likely be inhering a bit of a headache though. Black Adam, while successful at the box office, is underperforming critically. The rest of the DC film slate is… nebulous, at best, with many projects in very early stages and others having left fans unsure if they’re even actually happening. And that’s not to even mention the whole Ezra Miller situation.
Still, with Gunn’s filmmaking know-how and strong guiding hand, he and co-CEO Peter Safran have a real, genuine chance to turn DC Studios into a powerhouse that may even rival Kevin Feige’s MCU.
