The future of DC Studios lies in the hands of James Gunn and Peter Safran after Warner Bros. Discovery handed them the CEO position of the comic book filmmaking franchise.
Without making any concrete promises, the famed director hitmaker of both Marvel and DC films himself took to Twitter the announcement and acknowledged that he and Safran’s eyes are peeled to all the fandom’s petitions.
Opened up Twitter at the end of a long, creative weekend to see the many tweets to #SaveLegendsofTomorrow & #ReleaseTheAyerCut & fan support for other DC projects over the years. The majority of these requests were enthusiastic & respectful.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 6, 2022
#SaveLegendsOfTomorrow came about after The CW show was not renewed for an eighth season, while the demand for David Ayer’s director’s cut for the 2016 Suicide Squad, uproared in hopes that its decline at the box office could be redeemed in the same way as Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
As the new (& first ever) CEOs of DC Studios, Peter & I think it’s important we acknowledge you, the fans, & let you know we hear your different desires for the pathways forward for DC.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 6, 2022
Although our ability to interact on Twitter has been lessened due to the workload of our new positions, we are listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey, & will continue to do so for the next few years.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 6, 2022
Prior to closing the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav spoke of wanting a “restructured” DC Studios “similar to the structure that Alan Horn and Bob Iger put together very effectively with Kevin Feige [Marvel Studio’s chief] at Disney,” with its investors last August 4.
The unique direction of James Gunn that molded the success of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy installments and Peter Safran whose no stranger to high-grossing films as the producer behind The Conjuring universe and DC’s Aquaman, Zaslav expressed his confidence for the “singular and complementary talents” of the duo in an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
In the same interview, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan to have Gunn spearhead DC Studio’s creative vision while Safran will manage the finances and production side.
Furthermore, the pair have already collaborated on DC projects like HBO Max’s The Peacemaker series and 2021’s The Suicide Squad.
But all our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 6, 2022
We invite all of the DC fandoms from across the multiverse — and everyone else as well — into this new universe. We can’t wait to reveal more.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 6, 2022
As Gunn and Safran usher a new era of DC Studios across multiple films, television shows, and animated movies without specifically hinting any future projects, some fans speculate that the director’s tweet emphasizing the “Biggest Story Ever Told” is an easter egg that might open some suggestions.
If so, The Greatest Stories Ever Told (similar to Gunn’s tweet) is a series of DC’s collected edition comic books launched in 1987, was revived in 2004, and was later replaced by the Celebration Collection.
Considering Gunn’s career arc that enabled him to play both sides of the coin, mega-blockbuster budget hits as well as his initial years in the industry directing Indie films, only time can tell how well he’ll drive the DC Studio’s massive ship with a position that put him on a comic book filmmaking map and a huge budget to play with.
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