Summary
James Gunnreveals that there are some people at Disney that he is still “not happy with” years after his firing and subsequent rehiring at Marvel. Before Gunn took creative control of DC’s comic book movies and shows, he was best known for Marvel’sGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise. WhileSupermanis an iconic characterthat the director wants to breathe new life into, theGuardianswere lesser-known characters that Gunn turned into household names, solidifying his talent for mixing humor and action.
Gunn was fired from Marvel in 2018 when old Tweets about jokes thatDisneythought were in poor taste resurfaced. The director was meant to helm a thirdGuardians of the Galaxy, but it was put on hold as he sought new opportunities. DC quickly snatched Gunn up, and he tackledThe Suicide Squad, which was beloved but underperformed at the box office due to several factors. However, Marvel ultimately chose to rehire Gunn, who deliveredGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3following his commitments toThe Suicide Squad. Still, all these years later, Gunn hasn’t completely forgiven some of those working for Disney who had a hand in his termination.
While appearing on theArmchair Expertpodcast (viaThe Wrap),Gunn discussed his firing from Disney and Marvel.The director opened up about how Superman was the first project offered by DC and WB, with him favoring The Suicide Squad, and Kevin Feige’s first question during the two meeting in person afterward. Still,Gunn states that he is “not happy with” some people at Disney all these years later, but clarifies that those working for Marvel were still nice to him during and after the firing.Gunn stated:
Listen, there are people that I’m not that happy with over there [at Disney], but that certainly wasn’t the Marvel guys, you know? They were completely supportive. [Marvel Studios Co-President] Louis D’Esposito called me all the time. Lou and Kevin were great. So it certainly wasn’t them. But I didn’t feel guilt at all. I mean, I had to take a job! I took a job [with] people that I also really liked, and that was it.
Marvel Lost James Gunn, Who Is Thriving As DC’s Version Of Kevin Feige
Gunn likely had a bright future ahead of him at Marvel prior to the firing. In addition to theGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy, he served as an executive producer on the massive hitsAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Doomsday.However, like many directors, he was still dialed in under the guidance of hiring ranking studio officials. DC offered Gunn a place to ascend, where he is serving as a co-head of DC Studios, while still directing films.
Gunn’s first movie inhis proposed DCU isSuperman, which he wrote and directed. The movie hopes to kick off an entire connected universe of unique media, which Gunn helped curate. Gunn’sPeacemakeris back for another season, aSupergirlmovie is in post-production, and distinctly original projects like theClayfacemovie show the universe’s willingness to try new things. While many of their plans remain to be seen, like the final results of theLanternsseries and what theWallershow will be, the DCU is poised to thrive with plenty of projects in the works, largely thanks toJames Gunn.
