That reputation only grew as Gunn touted a creator-first approach that contradicted the Marvel factory. Gunn insisted that no project goes into production without a finished script and foregrounded his screenwriters, putting Supergirl screenwriter Ana Nogueira on the press tour alongside Alcock and Jason Mamoa.
At first glance, the behind-the-scenes debacle of Supergirl seems to undercut Gunn’s ethos. Studio cuts, reshoots, and excessive marketing are nothing new to the world of big-budget, IP-driven filmmaking. But Gunn seemed above that, and if there’s truth to the claims of the unnamed sources quoted in Hollywood Reporter saying Gunn and Gillespie “were not creatively aligned,” then it appears that Gunn’s principles couldn’t resist standard studio operating procedure.
But the signs of problems were clear even before Supergirl started shooting. Gillespie has certainly had his hits, including the Oscar-winner I, Tonya and the Disney origin story Cruella, but it’s hard to say he has a distinctive voice. Or, if he does, it’s one similar to and lesser than Gunn’s: messy lead characters, a self-awareness, lots of needle-drops. For the much-anticipated Batman flick The Brave and the Bold, Gunn chose director Andy Muschietti, a guy whose greatest successes might be getting It and The Flash to the screen after messy productions. The next DCU movie is Clayface, which boasts a script from the incredible Mike Flanagan, but is directed by James Watkins, a filmmaker whose best decision was to just let James McAvoy go nuts in Speak No Evil.
Crisis in the Gunn Universe
Looking at this list of filmmakers, it sure seems like Gunn hasn’t strayed from the Mighty Marvel Movie Method: get a bunch of journeymen to direct movies conceived by the studio head. Except it’s even worse, because Feige is very much a studio head and Gunn is very much a director.
Gunn has a take on DC Comics characters, and he knows how to bring out the best in them. Gunn never shies away from the inherent silliness of those who put on bright tights to fight crime, but he also treats them as three-dimensional figures, real people in an absurd world. Moreover, Gunn knows how to tackle heavy themes without ever becoming pedantic or sacrificing the fun of a superhero spectacle, as demonstrated by making Starro the Conqueror a weapon of mass destruction in The Suicide Squad or making black site prisons a key part of Superman.
Yet, as wonderful as Gunn is at telling these stories, he’s not the only one who can do it. Even within the MCU, Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler both managed to make superhero movies that felt personal. Certainly, nearly two decades after the launch of the MCU, other filmmakers have had their own wild ideas on superheroes. It’s time for Gunn to find them and give them the same freedom he affords himself. In particular, Gunn needs to find filmmakers who do not approach superheroes in the same way.
