James Gunn Won’t Play the Studio Game: “I’d Quit” If DC Becomes an Assembly Line
During a recent press event updating fans and media on DC Studios’ upcoming slate of film and TV projects, the DC Studios co-chief James Gunn made it clear that if things ever veer into soulless, assembly-line filmmaking, he’s out.
“I’d quit,” Gunn said, “I’m being serious! I’m not going to do this unless I think we’re doing good stuff that’s cool, that works.”
Of course, he followed up to clarify that he’s not throwing in the towel anytime soon, saying: “I’m not saying I’m going to quit, I’m not damning DC.” His leadership at DC isn’t about just churning out mediocre content for the sake of it, which is what Marvel is doing now.
Peter Safran added: “We’re very deliberate in our output. We’re not looking to make five movies a year and five series. We’re really focused on telling great versions of the stories we want to tell, and we have zero pressure on us from [WBD CEO] David [Zaslav] or anyone else to deliver more than that.”
Gunn has been vocal about avoiding the industry’s worst habits, especially the tendency to rush movies into production before they’re ready. “Too often he’s seen movies without third acts move forward in a studio’s pipeline,” and that’s not something he intends to let happen under his watch.
The conversation also turned toward the political climate and whether Gunn and Safran worry about outside pressures influencing their storytelling. Gunn, who faced backlash years ago for controversial tweets that led to his temporary firing from Marvel, dismissed the idea that external factors dictate his creative decisions.
He explained: “I know what you’re saying, but I’ve been off making Superman and working on stories for three years, and I just try to tell the best stories I possibly can. That’s all I care about. I used to read the news a lot and stuff, I’m not on the internet.”
And he’s also not about to let anyone tell him how to shape his films. “No matter who is telling me who I’m supposed to put in my movie for whatever reason, I don’t give a shit. I was always about making the best story possible with the best characters possible.”
Safran echoed that, emphasizing that the goal at DC Studios is simple: “We want to make movies for a diverse audience.”
For Gunn and Safran, the focus is on strong storytelling, not studio mandates or political pressures. If that ever changes, Gunn has already made it clear… he won’t stick around to watch it happen.
I really hope that Gunn can pull this off because I would loved nothing more than to see him produce a ton of great DC films and series. I hope he finds success that inspires Marvel to do better.
Source: Deadline