Writer/director James Gunn reveals his thoughts on choosing to take on The Suicide Squad for the DC Extended Universe over a new Superman film. A follow-up to David Ayer's 2016 film, the story centers on inmates from Belle Reve recruited for Task Force X by Amanda Waller to destroy a Nazi-era prison and laboratory on the fictional South American island of Corto Maltese while also facing off against Starro, a telepathic kaiju-sized starfish. Despite technically being set after the events of its predecessor, The Suicide Squad is neither a sequel nor a reboot of the sub-franchise but rather a standalone title.
Gunn's jump to the DCEU has been the talk of the town for the past few years after he was dismissed from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Though he was invited back to the threequel shortly after being fired, Gunn has continued expanding his involvement in Warner Bros.' franchise, creating, writing, and primarily directing the HBO Max spin-off Peacemaker and reportedly looking at taking on future projects in the universe after concluding his MCU trilogy. There was a brief time when another DC Comics hero was on the table for Gunn to tackle.
Gunn caught up with The New York Times to discuss his journey from being dismissed from the MCU to the DCEU with The Suicide Squad, including the other projects considered before taking on the forthcoming film. In reflecting on a potential new Superman film, the writer/director discussed the emotional nature of his decision not to bring his own take to the Man of Steel. See what Gunn had to say below:
"At that time I said I can’t commit myself to something right now. It was traumatic. I had to deal with myself. I just have to take a step back. So I took the different possibilities of projects I could work on, and for a month, every day I worked on a different project. I really wanted to make sure that whatever I was going to write was going to be a great story, and if it worked out and I felt like directing it, I could. Suicide Squad was just the one that came to life immediately."
The future of Superman in the DCEU is currently one of the most unknown and debated for the franchise as a whole, with Ta-Nehisi Coates penning a film with a Black actor portraying the Kryptonian separate from the DCEU while Henry Cavill is reportedly in talks to return, thought not for a solo project. Given the mixed reception to Zack Snyder's DCEU-launching films, all of which included Cavill's portrayal of the character, WB is clearly weighing their options carefully about how best to proceed with his character. This uncertainty is sure to prove just as intimidating to the producers of the franchise as to a filmmaker such as Gunn coming in from a different studio.
Gunn's firing from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 proved to be an emotional rollercoaster for not only fans but the writer/director himself. His comments about the toll it took on his psyche are certainly heartbreaking to hear, but the speed at which he was able to bounce back and take on The Suicide Squad, its spin-off Peacemaker, and rehiring for the MCU film is inspiring. While fans may still have a ways to go to hear what the future holds for Superman on the big screen, the wait for Gunn's return is almost over as The Suicide Squad arrives on August 5.
Source: NY Times
https://ift.tt/3kfCgZy
July 15, 2021 at 12:23AM
