James Gunn being fired from Marvel Studios in 2018 became a blessing in disguise for his future career at DC Studios, and he could end up saving the DCEU. After his initial run with Marvel ended, he made the transition to DC and developed The Suicide Squad movie and the Peacemaker series for HBO Max. After Disney rehired him to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special), Warner Bros. Discovery enlisted Gunn and producer Peter Safran to be the new co-heads of the DC Extended Universe. Handling the creative side of DC, James Gunn will be the DCEU's Kevin Feige and will foresee the future of DC's entertainment franchise during his exclusive deal with Warner Bros. The DCEU certainly hasn't had the greatest track record since it made its debut in 2013 with Man of Steel. Many of the films received negative critical and audience reception, although the box office performance for a portion of these movies was sublime. Gunn now has an opportunity to bring a level of success to the DCEU that their competitor Marvel Studios has already achieved.

Now that James Gunn is overseeing the future of projects at DC Studios, he can make more of a commitment to storytelling and developing characters that were previously lackluster. Gunn is a master at introducing characters that were relatively unknown to mainstream audiences and making them household names. James Gunn can save the DCEU by embracing elements of his films that have been proven to work. Both Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad had characters with a lot of depth that eventually found a purpose. It's the idea that Gunn can expand on character storylines and really make the audience care about them. The director can develop newer projects that continue to introduce brand-new and obscure characters, but he can also focus on telling more interconnected stories in the long run. DC now has a major opportunity to spend more time developing their projects long-term like Marvel Studios does.

Related: James Gunn's DC Studios Role Reveals 9 Details About DC's Future

Why James Gunn Was Fired By Disney

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In the summer of 2018, a significant number of inappropriate tweets from James Gunn resurfaced after over a decade. The tweets were largely Gunn telling inappropriate jokes about sexual abuse, and many of them were deemed insensitive. Disney made the prompt decision to fire him as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which had been slated for a May 2020 release. Marvel would still be allowed to use the script Gunn had written, but he wouldn't be allowed to direct. James Gunn's firing saw a huge outpouring of support for the director, and the cast of the Guardians trilogy released a joint statement in hopes Disney would rehire him. Numerous celebrities and media outlets also came to Gunn's defense

Though the decision had been made months prior, James Gunn was confirmed to have been rehired to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in the spring of 2019. However, the film wouldn't see a release for some time due to Gunn's commitment to The Suicide Squad and the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Disney thanked Gunn for handling the situation appropriately and not lashing out, accepting his public apology, and he continued working on Vol. 3 shortly after.

How James Gunn Got Involved With DC Films

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Days after his firing from Disney, Warner Bros. hired the Guardians of the Galaxy director to write a script for a second Suicide Squad film. After the sequel's original director Gavin O'Connor stepped down, Gunn was confirmed to direct by early 2019. The Suicide Squad let James Gunn be himself while writing and directing due to his use of graphic violence, dirty humor, and a killer soundtrack. Because he was given complete creative control, he could essentially get away with everything he included in the movie. An R-rated story worked extremely well for the DC team of anti-heroes.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, James Gunn wrote a spin-off of The Suicide Squad titled Peacemaker, a series that would see John Cena reprise his role and explore on the character's origins and life after the film. Gunn wrote each of the eight episodes and directed five of them. The series was officially announced in September 2020 and made its streaming debut on HBO Max in January 2022. A second season has been greenlit, and Gunn is again expected to write and direct.

Related: What James Gunn's DC Role Means For GOTG 3 & The Holiday Special

James Gunn's New Role At DC Studios Means He Could Save The DCEU

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James Gunn may be the new co-head of DC Studios, but he also has several upcoming projects with the company. In 2022, it was announced that Gunn has a secret DC project in the works. There is also an Amanda Waller focused spin-off that he will be executive-producing. Beyond that, he will now be involved in various other DC television shows and films as co-chairman and co-CEO. Because he has creative control over film, television, and animation at DC, he can focus on well-received projects like Harley Quinn. He'll also be able to build the DCEU back up and hire filmmakers that share a deep passion for the projects they are working on.

The DC Extended Universe is one of many focuses that James Gunn should be working on. In addition to that, he can oversee the development of separate projects such as Titans, The Batman 2, and Static Shock. Because of his experience as a writer and director, Gunn is in a unique position as he can contribute to the stories that other filmmakers want to bring to DC. James Gunn's best DCEU future is as a leader, not solely a contributor. His intuition and creativity bring a lot to the table, and having Peter Safran at his side is beneficial due to his experience as an attorney and talent manager. Safran has already worked with DC for years, so this new partnership should benefit the DCEU and DC Studios greatly in the long run.

Next: What If James Gunn Had Made The Suicide Squad In 2016?

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