Report: James Gunn's DCU Plans Will Be Mostly Scrapped After His Exit
Krypto has been asked to clear out his desk.
The fallout from James Gunn and Peter Safran's exit from DC Studios is already getting messier. Puck now reports that Gunn's DCU plans "will be mostly dismantled, excluding what has already been filmed," according to DiscussingFilm.
That would mean the shared universe Gunn started building with Creature Commandos and Superman could be cut down to whatever is already in the can. Nothing has been officially canceled yet, and Skydance hasn't commented on the report. The report also didn't spell out which specific projects would survive the cuts.
Why did Skydance replace Gunn and Safran?
The Hollywood Reporter says box office played a big role. Supergirl was seen as a box office disaster this summer, and even Superman's $618 million worldwide reportedly wasn't impressive to Skydance, which felt the film lacked "pop culture impact," per DiscussingFilm.
THR's report also says Gunn and Safran were slow to share future plans, slate details and footage with Skydance executives, and that they wanted to report directly to David Ellison to keep control of the DC rollout. One insider told the trade that the shake-up had been in the works since early fall, as Culture Crave summarized.
When did James Gunn find out?
According to THR, Gunn and Safran learned they would no longer be running DC Studios last Friday. Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz reportedly broke the news to them in person.
Gunn's own statement made it clear the job had worn on him. "My time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the least," he wrote in a letter to fans, as quoted by IGN. Jeremy Latcham, a Marvel Studios veteran, takes over as president and chief creative officer on December 1.
What happens to Superman now?
That part is still unclear. Gunn had reportedly already started writing a third Superman movie as part of a planned trilogy, but THR says it's uncertain whether he'll get to finish his vision. Gunn and Safran will keep direct ties to the studio, just with much less control.
One DC insider told THR they were worried that fans may not keep investing in the franchise if it gets rebooted yet again. That's a fair concern, because DC fans already watched one connected universe get wiped out to make room for this one.
My read is that dismantling everything again would be a mistake. Superman was a real hit with fans, and starting over a third time asks a lot of an audience that already showed up. (Somebody please make sure Krypto keeps his parking spot.)
Should Skydance keep Gunn's DCU going or start fresh? Tell us in the comments.
