When Disney fired Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn from the MCU after some offensive jokes from the past resurfaced on social media, Warner Bros. wasted no time in scooping up the filmmaker.
With that, he was tapped to write and direct The Suicide Squad, though the House of Mouse eventually saw the error of its ways and re-hired Gunn. After helming The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and various tie-in material for Disney Parks, his future lies in the DCU as DC Studios co-CEO alongside Peter Safran.
As well as overseeing upcoming projects, he's written Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy, with the expectation being that he will also direct the latter.
During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige was asked to share his thoughts on Gunn making the leap to the DCU.
"[The conversation] was not dissimilar to when we talked about him doing The Suicide Squad. I said, 'That's awesome, and I can't wait to see it.' I've never been shy about loving those characters," he explains. "I had Superman posters all over my walls in my childhood bedroom, and I went to work for the Donners, [film producers] Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner, because of Superman."
"The notion of those characters being in such good hands with James is exciting, and it's very cool - after he finishes Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, of course. [Laughs]"
With critics harsher than ever towards Marvel Studios' output, now is a good time for DC Studios to step up and start offering an alternative form of superhero storytelling. The pressure is on Gunn to deliver, though he's certainly had ample opportunity to learn from Feige over the years.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 arrives in theaters on May 5. Superman: Legacy, meanwhile, has been dated for July 11, 2025.