Summary
TheDC Universegot underway recently with the release ofSuperman, which has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. James Gunn managed to bring a fresh vibe to the Man of Steel,which led to the film soaring to a $215 million box office opening weekend. That has got people excited about the future of theDCU.
Superman was just the beginning of the process for Gunn, who is already hard at work on future projects to try and grow the franchise. However, his latest comments on his overall plans have led to some confusion and worry, as there’s a chance that his ideas might lead to the DCU’s downfall.
James Gunn Wants Each DCU Movie To Be Unique
The Idea Is Exciting On Paper, But Won’t Work In Reality
Everyone has been interested in seeing how Gunn would tackle the DCU as a whole, and he passed the first test with flying colors due tohow entertainingSupermanwas. However, fans expecting all of the upcoming movies in this franchise to have the same tone are going to be disappointed. Gunn intends to do the complete opposite of that, as he revealed in an interview withIGN. The co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios spoke about what he wants from the upcoming movie releases, making it clear that the focus will be on providing unique tones in each film to make them thrive in their own right.
“It’s really important to me that every project has its own stamp on it. So, this movie [Superman] is very different from the R-rated movie that we’re making, a body horror movie with clayface. I’s very different from the Sgt. Rock movie that we are developing, it’s very different from Supergirl, which is a space fantasy. Every one of htese movies is completely different. What I love about DC Comics and the graphic novels is tha they allowed the indivdual artists and writers to create their own projects, and they each had the own voice…Those things have very little onally in common with each other, except for they’re part of a set of communal characters that are in the DC Comics Universe, and now we’re doing that same thing in the DCU.”
That idea is exciting on paper and might get many people talking positively. The fact that every movie is going to feel and look different, potentially even tapping into separate genres, is something that could ensure there’s no fatigue with the franchise. It would also allow every highlighted character to thrive and stand out, as they would instantly feel special and not just as one of the pack. However, pulling that offcomes with an element of riskregarding the franchise as a whole, as one seamless project, and not just lots of select, individual movies.
James Gunn Will Find It Hard To Move Various Characters Between Movies
It Will Be Tough For The DCU To Have An Ensemble Film In The Future
One of the reasons why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been so successful is that the movies have genuinely felt unique, tapping into different genres. A film like theGuardians of the Galaxyis totally different fromCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,which has helped make each movie feel fresh. At the same time, Marvel Studios could seamlessly put characters from various movies into other projects because the tone was always the same, despite their uniqueness. That allowed the MCU to grow, and Gunn’s decision will cause the DCU to do the opposite.
Every movie has a drastically different tone, to the point where some might be ultra-violent. In contrast, others are light-hearted, and that will make the idea of any crossover almost impossible.It’s hard to imagine a much darker, R-rated character popping up and working next to this version of Superman.It’s theproblem that Marvel has with Deadpool right now, which is the one outlier for that franchise. However, suppose Gunn isn’t able to put any of the DC characters together. In that case, he will be missing out on some significant opportunities for storytelling and gaining interest in the franchise generally, which is going to be necessary if the DCU is ever going to compete with Marvel Studios.
James Gunn Is Risking Alienating Large Portions Of The Audience
Younger Viewers Are Going To Suffer The Most With These Plans
Another problem that Gunn will have with this idea is that he will alienate some of the DC fans by having all of the movies use different tones.Supermanproved to be light-hearted and funny at times, being accessible to many younger audiences, who are now interested in future movies from this franchise. However, children who might’ve enjoyedSuperman’scomedic tone will instantly not be able to seeClayface, whichpromises to be a more violent film, that is almost like a horror movie. That is where the problems will be created for the DCU, as turning fans away from select movies means that one overarching storyline cannot be properly told in the same manner that Marvel Studios can.
The reason whyAvengers: Endgamebecame a cinematic eventthat swept the world is down to how many movies came before it, all slowly telling a story that led to that moment. Audiences were able to watch all those movies, even if they didn’t necessarily enjoy them all; they were at least able to see the content and understand how things were progressing. That will not be the case with the DCU due to Gunn’s decision regarding the tone of the films, and that’s a risk that has the potential to backfire massively when it comes to growing the franchise.
