James Gunn Doesn't Care About The Marvel vs. DC Feud

Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn and director Greg McLean sat down with Variety during the Toronto International Film Festival to talk about their new movie The Belko Experiment (which Gunn wrote). It's a nice interview that includes the revelation that the inspiration for the movie came from a dream in which Gunn saw the whole trailer in his mind! Very cool. Near the end of the chat, the discussion turned to the ongoing creative battle between Marvel and DC in the world of movies.

“I just don’t find any room in my headspace for thinking my movies are superior or inferior to someone else’s,” he said. “I really just think about how can I make, for instance right now, how can I make ‘Guardians Vol. 2’ the greatest spectacle film of all time? That’s all I care about so that’s what I concentrate on. I don’t really think about Marvel versus DC. And also any time a Marvel movie comes out that isn’t as good as I wished it was or anytime a DC movie comes out that isn’t as I wished it was, I’m disappointed because I love these characters. I grew up reading Marvel and DC comics. I want them all to be good. I also want them all to be good just for selfish purposes because when superhero movies are good, people go see other superhero movies. It's not like only Marvel or only DC can make money. If they both make great movies, they both help each other make money."

That's the most level-headed way of looking at it. Fans have drawn major lines in the sand over this issue, and it's kind of crazy to think that people would deprive themselves of high quality entertainment by only supporting one side against the other. Gunn's right on the money here: if both companies make great films, everyone wins. I'm glad he's got his eye on the prize with Guardians Vol. 2, and I'm confident he'll be able to deliver something spectacular with that one.