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."