As the new co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn is already facing lots of expectations from DC’s most hardcore fans, specifically, those who have started hashtag campaigns on Twitter to #ReleaseTheAyerCut. In response, he has extending an olive branch and assures them “we are listening.”
Since last year, DC fans, galvanized by their successful online campaign to get Warner Bros. to produce a Zack Snyder-directed cut of “Justice League,” have pushed the studio to let David Ayer complete his original director’s cut of the critically panned “Suicide Squad.” More recently, fans of the CW television show “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” have pushed for an eighth season after the program was cancelled this past April.
While Gunn did not promise that these campaigns would have those wishes granted, he acknowledged that he’s seen them in a Twitter thread addressing his early plans for DC Studios.
“Opened up Twitter at the end of a long, creative weekend to see the many tweets to #SaveLegendsofTomorrow and #ReleaseTheAyerCut and fan support for other DC projects over the years. The majority of these requests were enthusiastic and respectful,” Gunn tweeted. “As the new (and first ever) CEOs of DC Studios, Peter [Safran] and I think it’s important we acknowledge you, the fans, and let you know we hear your different desires for the pathways forward for DC.”
He went on: “Although our ability to interact on Twitter has been lessened due to the workload of our new positions, we are listening & open to everything as we embark on this journey, & will continue to do so for the next few years.”
You can read the entire thread in the link below.
While Gunn still has business at Marvel Studios completing postproduction on “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which comes out in May, he and Safran will have plenty of work overseeing development of DC films that are already in various stages of development, including sequels to “Aquaman,” “Shazam!,” “The Batman” and “Joker.” Gunn himself is also set to write and produce a second season of “Peacemaker” for HBO Max.
As the heads of DC Studios, Gunn and Safran will oversee development of all DC projects for film, television and streaming, but it is the theatrical releases and the CW’s Arrowverse where they will get the most scrutiny from fans. It likely won’t be until 2025 at the earliest that projects greenlit by the new heads will see the light of day.
Gunn teased that when those projects are released, they will be part of a new cinematic universe for DC’s superheroes, and while he did not rule out giving “Suicide Squad” and “Legends of Tomorrow” a second chance, his focus is on the future, not the past.
“All our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, and telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows and animated projects,” Gunn said. “We invite all of the DC fandoms from across the multiverse — and everyone else as well — into this new universe. We can’t wait to reveal more.”
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