SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Explains Why He "Killed" Greenlit DCU Movie: "We Know It's Not Good"

SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Explains Why He "Killed" Greenlit DCU Movie: "We Know It's Not Good"

Though he still hasn't confirmed which project it was, James Gunn has shared more details on the DCU movie that was scrapped despite having a script and director attached...

By MarkCassidy - Jul 17, 2025 07:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman

Superman director James Gunn recently revealed that a certain DCU movie that had been greenlit was no longer moving forward, and the DC Studios co-head has now elaborated on his reasons for deciding to shelve the project.

"We had a screenplay that - you know, a movie that was greenlit," the filmmaker tells NPR. "We got second draft and third draft, and it just wasn't changing. It wasn't getting better. It was staying in the same place. And I said, 'we can't make this film. We can't. It's not good. We know it's not good.' Just because we have a good director attached and a good screenwriter, it doesn't mean the script is working. Everyone is going to be upset at the end of this. It's going to come out, the movie's not going to be good. Director's going to look bad, screenwriter's going to look bad and we're going to look bad. So I don't want to have this. We're not going to make the movie. And so we killed it."

When this news first broke, it was generally assumed that the movie Gunn was referring to must be SGT. Rock, which had Luca Guadagnino on board to direct and Colin Farrell set to play the lead. However, Gunn has since confirmed that the WWII adventure is still moving forward.

As far as we know, the only other feature announced as part of the "Gods and Monsters" slate that had a director (James Mangold) attached was Swamp Thing, which is a likely possibility.

Gunn went on to explain why a studio pulling the plug on a project that was already so deep into development happened so rarely.

"I would be surprised if it's ever happened at a studio 'cause that's just not the way things work. People are really excited to have something greenlit, and then they go and they just make it because they have to say yes to everybody, and they don't want to disappoint everybody. You know, for all the talk of the movie business being so based on dollars and cents, it is based on like me, like me, like me, like me, like me. And it's terrible. People don't want to be not liked. They don't want to let people down, and it's terrible. It's not good for anyone." 

One DCU project that Gunn and co. do seem to be happy with is the Wonder Woman movie, which is reportedly being fast-tracked.

Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

The cast also Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, and Milly Alcock's Supergirl has been confirmed to make her debut ahead of her own Woman of Tomorrow movie.

"And that’s a wrap," Gunn posted last year when filming concluded. "God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity, and hard work have brought this project to life. I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set - and for that I am forever grateful."

You can check out a synopsis for the movie below.

"In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind."

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ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 7/17/2025, 7:28 AM
Wait a minute 🤔🧐 why was it Green Lit in the first place if the script wasn't complete?

This goes against his own rules 👀
fosdog
fosdog - 7/17/2025, 7:42 AM
@28ClungesLater - hmmmm, good point.
ImNotaBot
ImNotaBot - 7/17/2025, 8:03 AM
@28ClungesLater - I think David Zaslav mandated Gunn to develop a rushed slate that WB could announce when he got the job, just like Feige does with Marvel. And now that Zaslav has more trust in Gunns work hes building a new slate. That is why we are getting a WW movie, Teen Titans, Clayface, maybe a Mr Terrific project and so on.

Im sure the “gods and monsters” was just a whatever title that Gunn took while writing Superman.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/17/2025, 8:27 AM
@28ClungesLater - he said there was a finished script. He just didn't like how the following drafts turned out.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 7/17/2025, 8:42 AM
@28ClungesLater - well, he had a script. Maybe he just greenlit it, expecting it to get better. Unfortunately it didn't, so he redlit it
ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 7/17/2025, 8:43 AM
@McMurdo - a first draft isnt a finished script sir! It's a first draft 👀

If he is greenlighting project based on 1st draft scripts then he is no better than the people that were in chatge of the DCEU
ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 7/17/2025, 8:47 AM
@bkmeijer1 - gunns exact words

"We won’t greenlit a film until we have a finished script we’re happy with"
Montezuma
Montezuma - 7/17/2025, 8:51 AM
@28ClungesLater - He didn't say it was incomplete. He said it wasn't getting better. They greenlit what they had with the expectation it would continue to evolve while in production. It wasn't.
RolandD
RolandD - 7/17/2025, 8:54 AM
@28ClungesLater - Maybe he changed his mind. That’s a thing people do sometimes and it is often a good thing. Charging forth with a mediocre script just because the project had already been greenlit sounds more like the DCEU to me.
ClungeOfSteel
ClungeOfSteel - 7/17/2025, 9:10 AM
@Montezuma - that would make it incomplete sir!

And if he wasn't happy with it then it shouldn't have been greenlit 👀

Gunn's words below.

"We won’t greenlit a film until we have a finished script we’re happy with"
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 7/17/2025, 7:32 AM
I'd believe his 'quality' concerns had he not just released a lame superman parody.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 7/17/2025, 8:10 AM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - id believe your concern if its not getting 17M on a Tue domestically
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/17/2025, 8:30 AM
@OrgasmicPotatoe - Superman was fantastic. Audiences are loving it. Critics are loving it. It's making money in the states. Superman was the straight man in that film and it worked really well for the vast majority of people. Sucks you didn't enjoy it but hopefully you'll get to see the character utilized by a director more to your sensibilities in the near future.
MR
MR - 7/17/2025, 7:37 AM
I wish he’d give his own Superman that same quality control.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 7/17/2025, 9:24 AM
@MR - Oh, he did. It's quite good.
fosdog
fosdog - 7/17/2025, 7:41 AM
I personally don't think we need a Sgt. Rock, and we have already had way too many Swamp Things. Just this ol' boys opinion.
ImNotaBot
ImNotaBot - 7/17/2025, 8:07 AM
@fosdog - Yeah i think WB green lit the project only because Luca Guadagnino could make a DC oscar contender movie just like Joker. I dont think the DCU needs that.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/17/2025, 8:31 AM
@fosdog - if it's actually a compelling narrative with a good script....by Luca Guadagnino? Sign me up.
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