Warner Bros. Should Hire James Gunn For a DC Movie

With it looking increasingly unlikely that Disney will rehire filmmaker James Gunn to his previous position with Marvel Studios, it would behoove Warner Brothers to recruit the Guardians of the Galaxy director to take the helm on a DC Comics' movie. Disney recently fired Gunn from his position as writer and director on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 following reports of tasteless jokes that he had made over a decade earlier on his social media, which surfaced at the height of San Diego Comic-Con 2018.

Gunn's firing was the result of a campaign led by conservative bloggers Michael Cernovich and Jack Posobiec. Gunn was apparently targeted due to his outspoken criticism of President Donald Trump on his personal social media. Disney, perhaps fearful of looking hypocritical following their firing of conservative comedian Roseanne Barr in response to racist comments she had made on her Twitter account, was just as quick to fire the progressive Gunn as the controversy sparked on-line. Ironically several liberal groups had taken Gunn to task over the same tasteless jokes in 2012 (when he had first been hired to work on Guardians of the Galaxy) at which point Gunn formally apologized and proclaimed that the jokes were not indicative of the man he had become.

At first, it seemed like Gunn would return to his Guardians 3 role, with a range of celebrities coming to his defense. Now, that's looking less likely, and the question becomes where he goes next. One option may be to jump sides and join DC.

This Page: James Gunn Probably Isn't Going Back To Marvel
Page 2: Why DC Is The Perfect Home For James Gunn

Disney Seems Unlikely To Rehire James Gunn

James Gunn on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy (photo Disney-Marvel)

The negative response to Gunn's firing was nearly as swift as Disney's speed in dismissing the beloved filmmaker. By the end of Comic-Con 2018, fans had launched a petition demanding Gunn's reinstatement. In the two weeks since Gunn's firing, the petition has attracted over 360,000 signatures.

One week after Gunn's firing, the stars of Guardians of the Galaxy issued an open letter, affirming their support for Gunn and their desire to work with him again in the future. Actor Dave Bautista, who plays the role of Drax The Destroyer, went a step further, specifically calling out the "cybernazis" who were out to destroy Gunn's career by spreading conspiracy theories of Gunn being a pedophile and a rapist in the wake of his firing and voicing his displeasure with Disney. More recently, iconic actor Kurt Russell, who played a key role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and got his start in Hollywood as a child actor with Disney, announced his support of Gunn and desire to see him rehired.

Despite these widespread displays of loyalty and support for Gunn, it does not seem likely that Disney is going to reconsider its position anytime soon, with the latest reports suggesting they're looking for a replacement. Rehiring Gunn so quickly after his incredibly public firing and admitting that they had made a mistake would represent a major loss of face for the studio. Additionally, there is still the problem that Gunn's humor did violate the letter of Disney's law regarding their expectations for upright behavior among their employees, even if he hadn't been working for the company at the time of the comments.

A larger problem is that while the reasons behind the reports of Gunn's past are well-known in fan-circles, that knowledge is not so widespread in the mainstream media. Gunn's name has become so firmly tied to a string of half-truths and rumors that Texas Senator Ted Cruz called for an investigation into Gunn's past, despite no criminal charges or civil suits having been leveled against him. As such, Disney's family-friendly brand cannot afford any association with Gunn at this time, regardless of the truth or Gunn's efforts to change himself for the better over the past decade.

Page 2 of 2: Why DC Is The Perfect Home For James Gunn

James Gunn Has Been Offered DC Movies In the Past

Given the difficulties in Disney rehiring Gunn, some fans have suggested that Warner Bros. would do well to recruit Gunn to work on DC film. The recent controversy over Gunn's past comments would pose a hurdle, although since Warner Bros. is not as heavily branded around its family-friendly image as Disney the objections are lesser. Additionally, somebody at DC Entertainment thought recruiting Gunn was a good idea at one time, as Gunn spoke of having been approached by the company in a Q&A with fans on Facebook in 2016. Gunn said: "I’ve had opportunities to make DC films, but I haven’t said yes to anything, and not sure I would at this time."

Unfortunately, Gunn's contract with Marvel Studios forbade him going to work with their "Distinguished Competitor", and even if he had been allowed to work for Warners, Gunn's schedule at the time was too tight to consider working on any other films; he was busy with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and assisting on the Guardians' inclusion in Avengers: Infinity War. Of course with Gunn having been released from his contract, none of that is a concern any longer.

James Gunn Is a Proven Superhero Movie Director

James and Sean Gunn on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy

There are many reasons why Warner Brothers would want to recruit Gunn to work on a DC Comics' movie, not least the director's proven track record as a money-maker during his time at Marvel Studios. The original Guardians of the Galaxy was seen as a gamble, lacking any kind of name-recognition with the public at large and no big name superheroes or stars. Despite this, the film went on to make $771 million internationally and the sequel surpassed it, earning $863.7 million world-wide.

Apart from that, there is the matter of the widespread support Gunn has received in the wake of a firing that many feel was unfairly administered. Despite the recent controversy, Gunn still has a devout fan following as a filmmaker that would readily follow him to Warner Bros. Gunn would also be a tremendous asset to DC Entertainment as an experienced writer and director with a vast knowledge and love of superheroes. Even before he was hired by Marvel Studios, Gunn had written two independent movies involving superheroes - the 2000 ensemble comedy The Specials and the 2010 dark comedy Super.

Another point to consider is that Gunn's strengths as a director - handling large ensembles and injecting both dark humor and light-hearted whimsy into otherwise static scenes - would counter many of the greatest weaknesses seen in DC Comics' most recent films. Many fans were turned off by the haphazard attempt to turn Suicide Squad into a more light-hearted comedy in the wake of fan backlash over the darkness of Batman v Superman. A director like Gunn might have better balanced either of those films.

Which DC Movies Could James Gunn Direct?

This begs the question of what movies James Gunn might write and direct if he were to be hired on at Warner Bros. Thankfully, Gunn himself had some suggestions when the question was posed to him in a 2016 interview. Gunn said: "I’ve talked before about which projects appeal to me the most if I was into making one, and it’s always Shazam and Metal Men and Swamp Thing and [Jonah] Hex and a few other DC IPs I’ve enjoyed for a great deal of my life."

Sadly, most of these ideas would prove unfeasible today. Warner Bros. is already releasing a Shazam! movie early next year and a Swamp Thing television series is already in the works for the DC Universe streaming service. It also seems unlikely that Warner Brothers would be willing to risk another Jonah Hex movie so soon after the 2010 film based on DC Comics' classic Western hero bombed. However, a movie based on The Metal Men - a team of robots who draw their powers from the properties of various basic metals - seems like just the sort of oddball ensemble piece to play to Gunn's strengths.

Another project that would be right up Gunn's alley would be the proposed Booster Gold movie. A film based upon the vainglorious former football star from the future, who stole a super-suit and traveled back in time to become a superhero, would prove a good fit for Gunn's gifts for comedy and exploring the heroic potential of morally questionable characters. As an added bonus, one of Gunn's best friends is actor Nathan Fillion, who has expressed an interest in playing the part of Booster Gold in addition to having performed in several of Gunn's independent movies and making cameos in the Guardians films. Perhaps Gunn's involvement in the project might get Fillion to sign-on?

James Gunn's future is currently unclear, but with a return to Marvel Studios getting more unlikely with each day, his talents are sure to be used elsewhere. And, given everything in his creative past, DC would be a fitting home.