One of the most inane criticisms of James Gunn writing, producing, and more than likely directing Superman: Legacy does have a hypothetically solid foundation, with the filmmaker’s involvement in twisted superhero tale Brightburn hardly marking him out as the ideal candidate to helm a fun-filled, light, and hopeful reinvention for the Man of Steel.
Of course, it goes without saying that the vast majority of filmmakers don’t like being put in a certain box they won’t be able to escape from, and a great deal of the accusations attempting to weaponize what’s basically an R-rated and gore-heavy spin on Kal-El’s origin story completely overestimates the Guardians of the Galaxy director’s involvement in the project.
It’s most definitely a family affair, though, and it’s easy to see that Gunn used his connections on either side of the camera. The current DC Studios co-CEO produced through his Troll Court Entertainment banner, while the screenplay was co-written by his brother Brian and cousin Mark, with future wife Jennifer Holland among the cast alongside regular collaborators Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Steve Agee, and Stephen Blakeheart.
Beyond that, the Peacemaker creator wasn’t heavily involved in a creative or on-set capacity, so it’s hilarious to discover that a Reddit thread titled “it feels wrong and tone-deaf to have the man who gave us Brightburn given the go-ahead to write and direct Superman: Legacy” end up being deleted less than an hour after it went live in the face of OP getting trashed for having such a boneheaded opinion.
Gunn probably gets given a lot more credit for Brightburn than he arguably deserves or even wants, but trying to use it as a valid reason as to why he’s incapable of making a great blockbuster based on a character he’s adored for almost his entire life doesn’t hold much water, especially when nobody thought someone who got their start at schlock merchants Troma would end up overseeing a multi-billion dollar cinematic universe one day.