Superhero franchises have had a history with plenty of ups and downs. The deceased Snyderverse was one of those with troubles from day one. With that behind him, Zack Snyder has revealed that he called James Gunn when he heard the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker was taking over DC. It was all in giving respect as the Justice League director called to “wish all the best” to his peer.
Zack Snyder Called James Gunn After the News Dropped About the Newly Minted DC Co-CEO
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zack Snyder shed light on his reaction to James Gunn being the new Kevin Feige-like co-CEO of DC. Rather than be bitter, he called to say how much he “wanted it to work.”
With the studio’s universe in shambles from poor reception from fans and critics, box office earnings being inconsistent with a handful of hits, and a lack of cohesiveness, a new plan was needed. Peter Safran and The Suicide Squad director were signed as co-CEOs. It’s a similar two-pronged approach that Pixar employs; one leads the business side of things, while the other is more creatively focused. It means the death of the Snyderverse and a major reset, which The Flash was used as this device. Now, in 2025, when Superman: Legacy releases, the DCU will begin, and the DCEU will be officially in the rearview mirror.
Superhero movies might be long gone for the Snyderverse creator. It all depends on the material. For Marvel, he would be open to making an adaptation of Frank Miller’s run of Daredevil or Elektra, specifically Elektra Lives Again. For DC, James Gunn would have to offer Zack Snyder the Dark Knight Returns, which would have to be “a true representation of the graphic novel.” Unless those opportunities arise, it is all about his sci-fi epic Rebel Moon.
James Gunn and Zack Snyder have an important history together as filmmakers. The directorial debut of the Batman v Superman director was the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. The co-CEO of DC penned the script. From there, their careers diverged, with one going to make grittier movies like 300 and Watchmen and the other delivering vibrant cosmic adventures.
The first Rebel Moon movie is set to release on December 15 in select theaters, before launching for streaming on December 22 on Netflix.