“Superman” director James Gunn believes modern superhero movies cannot rely anymore on the same tricks that they did 10 and 15 years ago.
In a video interview with GQ published Wednesday morning, Gunn reflected on some of his own films, including 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and this year’s “Superman,” and opened up about the current state of both comic book movies and Hollywood at large. “I don’t believe in superhero fatigue. I think there’s mediocre movie fatigue,” the DC Studios co-CEO said.
Gunn explained that it is simply not enough anymore to just give viewers the kind of big-screen crossovers and team-ups that initially made franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe seem so rare and special. “If the only thing that we have to offer is one character showing up and seeing two characters together that we’ve never seen onscreen before — that was really exciting when it first happened [but] nobody cares anymore,” the filmmaker remarked.
You can watch Gunn’s full GQ interview yourself in the video below.
Gunn added that he does not think comic book movies are struggling because audiences are actually tired of superheroes. “This ‘concept’ of superhero fatigue in one way is real because there have been a lot of superhero movies that maybe haven’t been up to what they should have been,” he observed. “You see the same thing happening across the board with movies in general — that people are not making the movies that need to bring people into the cinemas.”
“That’s why something like ‘Barbie’ works so well. ‘Barbie’ did something differently than what other big movies like that did, and people went to the theater,” Gunn added, praising the 2023 blockbuster. “I wrote Margot [Robbie] the morning that came out. I said, ‘Thank you for helping to keep theaters alive.’ I saw Greta Gerwig the other day. I was like, ‘Thanks.’”
He noted that there are other filmmakers like Gerwig who continue to make movies that audiences want to go to the theater to see, including “The Batman” director Matt Reeves.
“He’s a filmmaker that makes big pop movies, but they have soul and they’re different,” Gunn said of his fellow DC veteran. “Whether you like his movies or not, that’s not the important thing. He is doing something different. Being able to see those chances being taken on a big canvas is important.”
Ultimately, the “Superman” writer-director said he wants movie theaters to remain an important part of modern culture.
“I want the cinema-going experience to continue. I want my nephews and nieces and their children to be able to experience what I’ve been able to experience going to a theater and seeing the magic of cinema,” Gunn told GQ. “I just think we need to take risks. It hasn’t been happening because people are so afraid of making a mistake. I think we should make a lot more mistakes.”
