James Gunn Says Multiple R-Rated Projects Are in the Works at DC; All Are Based on "Good, Authentic Stories"

If it were anyone else in James Gunn’s shoes as head of DC, along with his working partner Peter Safran, fans might be worried. The comic book studio has had its lows, speckled with high points over the years, quite opposite of Marvel, but things are looking up.

Between Gunn’s Marvel movies- the Guardians of the Galaxy film series, to his DC movie The Suicide Squad, and its spinoff show Peacemaker, we feel pretty confident that Gunn will steer us in the right direction.

The director reinforced our faith in a recent interview with Collider, where he talked about the projects he has on the fire, namely several R-rated projects.

When asked if he planned on testing the waters to see how a rated-R movie would fly with audiences, Gunn said, confidently:

"We're not about that. We're not about 'See how it does.' We've got one opportunity to take these characters and really press forward and do what we believe.

“I am a great believer that if we tell good, authentic stories, if a movie does well or doesn't do as well, if you keep with that same philosophy, that you're going to build a universe that people are going to love and want to be a part of for a long time."

Gunn continued, adding that the story was king and if the story calls for it, then they'd make the project no matter the rating, adding:

"It's not about testing out to see if this thing works. It's just about telling a story. If a story is going to be R-rated, we're totally okay with that. If it's going to be PG, PG-13, or G, I don't care — whatever is worthy of the story, that's what we're going to do."

Gunn added that there is "more than one" thing that is close to being greenlit which may be R-rated. The interviewer cited the success of Deadpool & Wolverine, which Gunn agreed with, stating "that's right," before adding:

"People love that character. People love that format for that thing. You know Peacemaker is unrated, basically . So, we have all sorts. I like the idea of doing all sorts of different things."

It's clear that, by embracing all sorts of tones, ratings, even genres, Gunn is ensuring the new DC Universe remains fresh and exciting for audiences of all tastes. The future of DC is pretty exciting.

Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025. Creature Commandos will premiere on Max on December 5, 2024.