Latest news with #PeterSafran
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
James Gunn shares 'number-one reason' why 'movie industry is dying'
James Gunn believes "unfinished screenplays" are responsible for the "movie industry dying". The co-head of DC Studios cited the "number-one reason" why he believes the industry is struggling is that a lot of bad films have been released because projects have been rushed as a result of production dates being set before their scripts are completely ready. He told Rolling Stone: 'Listen, you can do everything right and make a bad movie. I'm really compassionate towards people that put their all into a movie. I know some people that were my former workers at Marvel — people who made some of the worst movies. "There were people that were lazy and didn't put their time in. And then there were other directors that worked really hard and maybe didn't have the best movie come out, but they did everything they could. "I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies. It's not because of home screens getting so good. 'The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.' The 58-year-old filmmaker revealed that when he and Peter Safran took over at DC Studios, he stressed that any films under his guidance wouldn't go into production until their scripts were finished, and admitted he had "just killed a project" because the screenplay was incomplete. He said: 'Everybody wanted to make the movie. It was greenlit, ready to go. The screenplay wasn't ready. And I couldn't do a movie where the screenplay's not good. 'And we've been really lucky so far, because Supergirl's script was so f****** good off the bat. And then Lanterns came in, and the script was so f****** good. Clayface, same thing. So f****** good. So we have these scripts that we've been really lucky with or wise in our choices or whatever the combination is.' The Superman director also believes not having a mandate from Warner Bros. to deliver a certain number of projects has helped DC Studios, because he believes the previous pressure Marvel faced from Disney to increase their output "killed them". He said: 'We have to treat every project as if we're lucky. 'We don't have the mandate [at DC Studios] to have a certain amount of movies and TV shows every year. So we're going to put out everything that we think is of the highest quality. "We're obviously going to do some good things and some not-so-good things, but hopefully on average everything will be as high-quality as possible. Nothing goes before there's a screenplay that I personally am happy with.'
Geek Tyrant
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
James Gunn Says the Film Industry Is Dying Because Movies Are Made Without Finished Scripts — GeekTyrant
James Gunn recently got candid when diagnosing what's wrong with Hollywood. In a recent Rolling Stone interview, the co-head of DC Studios explained that the movie industry isn't dying because people don't care about movies anymore, it's dying because too many films are being made without a finished script. 'I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies. It's not because of home screens getting so good. The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.' That might sound like a no-brainer, but in the world of blockbuster filmmaking, especially over the last decade, it's become common practice to greenlight and even start production on massive studio films before the script is locked. Gunn, who's directing Superman and overseeing the new DC Universe alongside Peter Safran, isn't willing to play that game. He offered a real-world example revealing that DC Studios recently 'killed a project' because the script just couldn't get to the right place: 'Everybody wanted to make the movie. It was greenlit, ready to go. The screenplay wasn't ready. And I couldn't do a movie where the screenplay's not good.' In that case, Gunn pulled the plug. Not because he didn't want the project to happen, but because it wasn't ready. That's a rarity in a studio system where deadlines often matter more than story. Gunn explained that DC has managed to dodge that bullet so far with its upcoming titles. 'And we've been really lucky so far, because Supergirl's script was so f–king good off the bat. And then Lanterns came in, and the script was so f–king good. Clayface, same thing. So f–king good. So we have these scripts that we've been really lucky with or wise in our choices or whatever the combination is.' Another factor that sets his current situation apart is that Gunn says there's no pressure from Warner Bros. Discovery to crank out a fixed number of DC films or shows just to meet some financial target. That kind of creative breathing room is rare at a major studio, and he knows it. With so many recent blockbusters underperforming and audiences growing more selective, Gunn's stance is exactly the thing I've been preaching for years, so finally someone in the Hollywood machine gets it. In a time when studios are still chasing cinematic universes without clear storytelling foundations, he's pushing a pretty simple idea… maybe start with a great script.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DC boss James Gunn responds to suggestions that Marvel Studios is putting out too much content – but says it wasn't their fault: "That wasn't fair. It wasn't right. And it killed them"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A common refrain from audiences is that Marvel is pumping out too many movies and shows to keep track of. There might be a reason, after all, why Thunderbolts – a good-to-great movie littered with B-tier heroes from several MCU projects – didn't spark at the box office. James Gunn, now heading up DC Studios alongside co-CEO Peter Safran, has sympathy for Marvel Studios' bloated universe, which includes nine separate movies and shows being released in 2025 alone. "I don't even know if it's really their fault," Gunn said to Rolling Stone of the situation, while revealing that one Marvel executive said "privately" that they – in the interviewer's words – 'put out too much stuff.' When pressed about a possible direction from up-high at Disney, Gunn offered, "That wasn't fair. It wasn't right. And it killed them." Speaking to ComicBook last year, Marvel's head of streaming Brad Winderbaum confirmed there was a mandate to "create as much as we could for Disney Plus as quickly as we could." Seemingly, that's not a mistake – or a mandate – Gunn cares to repeat. The Superman director said, "We don't have the mandate to have a certain amount of movies and TV shows every year. So we're going to put out everything that we think is of the highest quality. We're obviously going to do some good things and some not-so-good things, but hopefully on average everything will be as high-quality as possible." Gunn added, "Nothing goes before there's a screenplay that I personally am happy with." Marvel is now course correcting on its content overload, with Disney CEO Bob Iger's recent comments on quality over quantity being a surefire indicator that Marvel Studios is focusing on the cinematic experience – with Fantastic Four next up in July. Over at DC, July's Superman will soon be followed by Peacemaker season 2, though we'll have to wait until Supergirl next year for a return to theaters. For more, check out our guide to DCU Chapter One and how to watch the DC movies in order.
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
James Gunn Calls Batman His Biggest Problem in the DC Universe
When you're in charge of DC, there are three things you know you have to get right: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. That's why, when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios in 2023, plans were immediately put in place for the Holy Trinity of the company. The first part of that, Superman, is about to come to the big screen on July 11, but the other two pieces are still in flux. 'Batman's my biggest issue in all of DC right now, personally,' Gunn told Rolling Stone. 'And it's not—I'm not writing Batman, but I am working with the writer of Batman and trying to get it right, because he's incredibly important to DC, as is Wonder Woman. So outside of the stuff that I'm doing in the projects that are actively going, our two priorities are finishing our Wonder Woman and our Batman scripts.' As Gunn announced last week, a Wonder Woman movie is currently being written and, he feels, it's coming together quicker than a Batman movie for one simple reason. There's just been less of her. 'Wonder Woman I think is actually easier for me, because there haven't been so many infinite portrayals of Wonder Woman—definitely not in movies, but really anywhere—that there have been of Batman,' Gunn said. 'Every single Batman story has been told. It seems like half the comics that have come out of DC over the past 30 years have Batman in them. He's the most famous superhero in the world and the most popular superhero in the world. And people love him because he's interesting, but also having so much of him out there can also make him boring. So how do you create that property that's fun to watch?' That's one of the reasons a DC Universe Batman film, still currently under the title The Brave and the Bold, has been tough for Gunn and his team to crack. 'Batman has to have a reason for existing, right?' Gunn said. 'So Batman can't just be 'Oh, we're making a Batman movie because Batman's the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,' which he is. But because there's a need for him in the DCU and a need that he's not exactly the same as Matt [Reeves]'s Batman. But yet he's not a campy Batman. I'm not interested in that. I'm not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really. So we're dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it's— I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.' Of course, Gunn already has not just one Batman in reality—Robert Pattinson's aforementioned Batman, who'll next be seen in the 2027 film The Batman Part II. Gunn is still very, very insistent that the new DC Batman won't be played by Pattinson but even he admits that could change eventually. 'I would never say zero [chance of Pattinson joining the DCU], because you just never know,' Gunn said. 'But it's not likely. It's not likely at all. I'll also say Batman Part II is not canceled. That's the other thing I hear all the time—that Batman Part II is canceled. It's not canceled. We don't have a script. Matt's slow. Let him take his time. Let him do what he's doing. God, people are mean. Let him do his thing, man.' Let Gunn do his thing, too. He clearly knows the importance of these star characters in the DC Universe. And, when he tackles them, he wants them to be right. We'll see the first iteration of that next month when Superman comes to theaters July 11 and read more from Gunn over at Rolling Stone.
Gizmodo
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Of Course, James Gunn Is Thinking About a ‘Justice League' Movie
The DC Studios leader talks 'Superman,' 'Superman' sequels, Batman, Wonder Woman, and that potential team-up. Superman, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Peacemaker, Clayface—the list of characters 100% confirmed for James Gunn's new DC Universe is already fairly robust. Eventually, names like Batman and Wonder Woman will join too and, in a world where superhero team-up movies are both expected and demanded, Gunn admitted that the Justice League is probably on the horizon. 'Of course, of course,' Gunn told Entertainment Weekly when asked if the Justice League was something he'd been thinking about. 'But there is no Justice League in this world… not yet.' 'Not yet' implies that the movies coming now, and later, could be building to that—and when asked if the Justice League plays a role in what Gunn has planned for the overall DC Universe story, he simply replied, 'Sure.' Basically, a lot of things have to happen before we get to see the James Gunn-Peter Safran version of the Justice League. First is the release of Superman on July 11. If that's not a hit, well, all bets are off. But assuming it is, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow would be next in 2026, with Batman and Wonder Woman projects announced over two years ago both still in development. Gunn confirmed to EW that a Wonder Woman movie is 'being written right now,' while the previously announced show about Themyscira is 'slow moving, but it's moving.' No updates on Gunn's version of Batman but the Matt Reeves' Batman Part II starring Robert Pattinson is still full steam ahead for a 2027 release. 'What Matt's doing is still really important, despite all stories to the contrary,' Gunn said. 'We're supposed to see that script shortly, and I can't wait.' Gunn was also asked about what's next for him and Superman. The writer-director admitted earlier this year that his next film is something he was already in the process of writing. However, he would neither confirm nor deny that the film was a sequel or included Superman. In this new interview, he had an intriguing answer when asked if he had begun thinking about a Superman sequel. 'What I'm working on is in some way… I mean, yes, yes, yes, yes. But is it a straight-up Superman sequel? I would not say necessarily.' While all of this is going around in Gunn's mind, one place it's not is in star David Corenswet's. When asked about potentially leading a Justice League movie, Superman himself said he's choosing not to think about it. 'I mean, that sounds awesome,' he said. 'I don't take it upon myself to think ahead in that kind of way, just because one would hate to get one's hopes up about anything in particular and then have it go in another direction. What I like to do is stay blissfully ignorant, and then when James tells me what's going to happen, I get to have a wonderful surprise. So if Justice League is in the back of his mind, that sounds great to me. I'll put it at the back of my mind and we'll see what happens.' Read more from Gunn and the team over at Entertainment Weekly. Superman opens July 11 and we'll have much more soon.
