Ever since the DCU first launched a decade ago with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the franchise has become virtually synonymous with studio interference, given that the grubby fingerprints of Warner Bros. have gotten involved more often than not. However, James Gunn refuses to sanction the conspiracies that Superman: Legacy will suffer the same fate.
Under previous regimes, the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey, and even Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom have been subject to notes, cuts, and reshoots mandated from the boardroom, but as the co-CEO of DC Studios, Gunn has made it clear he and Peter Safran are the ones calling the creative shots.
As a result, the filmmaker and executive made a rare return to the arena of rumor-debunking on Threads after being questioned as to whether or not Legacy loading up with Metamorpho, Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific, and potentially even more was a David Zaslav call designed with an eye on making the reboot more appealing to not just audiences, but potential buyers of Warner Bros. as well.
Funnily enough, the Guardians of the Galaxy orchestrator responded with a frank, blunt, and self-explanatory “of course not.” Naturally, those of a more conspiratorial mindset will be convinced that there’s no way Gunn would admit to heavy-handed interference on social media and continue on in their current mindset, but looking at the tragedy to have befallen the embers of the DCEU in recent times, giving creative control to the actual creatives is the best step to rebuild trust in the flagging brand.