Skydance’s change of administration will likely be one of several we see at DC Studios
Following a lukewarm start to his tenure as co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn is on his way out. That’s not a good thing. Despite Gunn’s creative flair within the realm of comic book franchises and his experience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Skydance said no thanks to keeping him on as co-CEO. Though despite reports citing a conflict between both parties, it seems more like a new broom sweeps the house clean.
Stepping Aside
While Gunn and Safran are stepping down as co-CEOs, they’re still working as creatives for DC, including on another project that Gunn is writing. Jeremy Latcham will take over from the 1st December.
Skydance’s David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz said in a joint statement that “James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation”. Gunn was blunt about his time at the top, writing, “I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that).” In their joint statement, Gunn and Safran said they were “excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love”.
Support for his reign was largely focused on the fact that he hits the comic book-accurate spot. But adapting comics for cinema requires sacrificing some elements to make it work. Unfortunately, I don’t believe he got many of those choices right. And Zack Snyder? Very few, if any at all.
The DC superhero quadrant of quality is a mass illusion many believe has been there from the start. Very little of the DC landscape has actually been of an acceptable calibre.
Lack of Mystique
Hype has gotten in the way, too. No one is hitting a billion if you keep sharing behind-the-scenes material, talking about it online and posting clips of everything you’re doing. Whatever happened to the mystique and myth of a movie before it comes out? I feel like I’ve seen most movies before they even hit theatres.
Gunn’s issue wasn’t that his movies were bad, but that there was no coherent roll-out. And, to be honest, perhaps the cinematic universe should be buried for a while. Superheroes do not feel special in their own worlds anymore, owing to too many crossover stories that dilute their value.
In my opinion, recent waves of DC heroes have rarely hit the spot. Batman, bar Snyder’s direction of Ben Affleck, has been one of the few sure shots.
Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, etc., felt like rushed cosplay efforts. While Henry Cavill was a great casting choice for Superman, he was let down by the production. Sometimes, to go fast, you have to go slow. But Skydance will want to go too fast.
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