Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige wants James Gunn to make a great film in The Suicide Squad. In 2018, Gunn was briefly ousted from his role as the director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after some of his unsavory tweets from the past were unearthed. Due to the public pressure and backing of his cast members, Disney reconsidered and brought him back in 2019 — but not before he already signed up for a new gig at Warner Bros. and DC Films.
As it turns out, Gunn accepted the writer/director job for The Suicide Squad a day before he was reinstated as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's helmer. As the DCEU and MCU are direct competitors dating back to their days in print, many assumed that this was going to be an issue with Gunn having a conflict of interest. And yet, the filmmaker reveals that working at DC Films never became a problem with Feige only having one request as he went to helm The Suicide Squad — make a great movie.
Speaking with Empire as part of the outlet's coverage of The Suicide Squad, Gunn opens up about what went behind-the-scenes leading to him helming both an MCU and DCEU film. According to him, after Disney Chairman Alan Horn talked to him about getting his job back at Marvel Studios, he went on to talk to Feige regarding his newly-signed commitment at Warner Bros. Instead of pushing back, the MCU architect was nothing but supportive, with Gunn trusting him implicitly with narrative details about his upcoming film.
“Please, please make a good movie. Just… make a great movie. Kevin knew who all those characters were for months before we revealed them at FanDome. He still knows who the villain is. I think he’s pretty trustworthy with his NDA!”
Gunn isn't the only MCU talent attached to The Suicide Squad. Former Marvel stars Idris Elba and Michael Rooker who played Heimdall and Yondu are both in the film portraying Bloodsport and Savant respectively. Meanwhile, Sean Gunn who not only plays Kraglin, but also does the motion-capture for Rocket in the Guardians of the Galaxy films is playing Weasel. Finally, Thor: Love & Thunder filmmaker and Korg actor Taika Waititi is involved in The Suicide Squad in an undisclosed role as well. It's also worth noting that there's precedent to talents working on both Marvel and DC properties, although not simultaneously and as prominent as Gunn does. In any case, as long as exclusivity is not stipulated in their contracts, this is totally okay.
While Marvel and DC's rivalry can result in countless heated conversations among fans online, people involved in the MCU and DCEU do not take it that seriously. Of course, everyone wants their own projects to succeed, but it doesn't have to be at the expense of another. Having more successful comic book films ultimately benefits the public as it could drive up the quality of the genre overall. Gunn and those who are working on these projects know this which is why it's not surprising that Feige has high hopes for The Suicide Squad.
Source: Empire
