CO- Ceo of DC Studios James Gunn and writer of Superman Legacy has explained how the upcoming DC Universe movies will be different from DC Extended Universe’s take on the Man of Steel.
James Gunn, Co-Chair, and CO-CEO of DC Studios Peter Safran revealed that fans shouldn’t expect the DC Universe to retread storylines already covered in the DCEU, but instead, he prepared these beloved characters in a new direction.
James Gunn gave a statement to Variety ” I don’t think the movie would make it if it was just a redo of any other Superman adaptations”. For us to truly thrive as a studio, we need to honor the past of these characters while simultaneously seeing them in a new light.
Following the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Warner Bros launched their shared universe in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel starring Henry Cavil as Superman/ Clark Kent. Zack Snyder returned to direct Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and is even credited as director of Justice League (2017) although Joss Whedon reshoot the whole film after Zack Snyder stepped from the project.
The 2021 Justice League (also known as Zack Snyder’s Justice League) is considered Zack Snyder’s true take on the Justice League, he was also creatively involved in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016), Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman (2017) and Jame’s Wan Aquaman (2018). Zack Snyder’s films are commonly referred to as Snyderverse by his fans.
James Gunn will Reboot the DC Universe
To avoid comparison to the MCU, Zack Snyder’s films shield away from comedy and favor darker and more serious stories. While some fans were receptive to the changes Snyder made, others believed that not all DC characters (especially Superman) should not have been depicted in such a dark and violent tone.
James Gunn’s comments to Variety seem to imply that he will try to find the right balance between keeping these characters connected to their comic book roots while taking them in unexpected new directions in the new DC Universe.