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- A lack of creative consistency has hindered the success of the DCEU, with different directors reworking previous films to fit their own visions.
- A lack of executive figures to come up with a cohesive plan for the series prevented major crossover events and hampered universe-building.
- Gunn and Safran implemented an 8-10 year plan for the DCU, working closely with other creatives to ensure a balance between individual visions and the overall franchise plan.
With just a few months left until production begins on his new series’ debut film, James Gunn is sharing why the original DC Extended Universe failed.Starting from 2013 man of Steel, the DCEU is Warner Bros.Attempting to match the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite mixed reviews from critics, and struggling to cement itself as a box office juggernaut despite steadily receiving rave reviews Birds of Prey, Suicide Squad and blue beetle. Gunn and Peter Safran were named the new CEOs of DC Studios in late 2022, aiming to gently reboot the franchise into the new DC Universe, starting with Superman: Legacy and animated biocommando.
Just over a year into his new role, some fans took to Threads to question Gunn’s approach to developing the DCU, and in his response, he explained why the DCEU failed.
As shown above, his response found suicide squad and peacemaker Creative pointed to a lack of creative consistency between the various projects in the DCEU as the biggest factor holding back the success of the soon-to-be-completed series. Gunn also clarified to the now-deleted commenter how he would incorporate animated projects and video games into his plans for the DCU, noting that not all of those projects would be set in his universe but would instead be considered otherworldly stories.
How the DCU solves the DCEU’s lack of consistency
While some ardent fans are still keen to defend the original DCEU, especially the Zack Snyder-produced films, Gunn’s claims about a lack of internal consistency are largely true for the series.Whether it’s how certain characters are portrayed or even how the complete world changes between different versions of Atlantis, especially the vastly different Justice League and Neptune, filmmakers always feel like the door is open to revisit what came before to fit their vision for a project. However, with Gunn and Safran now leading the way, the DCU can finally match the success of the MCU.
A big reason why the former franchise lacked any consistency was that there was no executive to actually lay out a plan for how major crossover events would unfold and connect.Since its launch, the MCU has had Kevin Feige overseeing the development of all projects, leading to things like The Avengers movies, ultimately leading to the record-breaking releases of these films. While the Marvel Universe is currently in a creative slump as audiences suffer from superhero fatigue and it feels like most projects exist simply to set up the next big thing, Feige has at least retained his overall vision of where the franchise should go Vision, ensuring the construction of a more consistent universe.
After some recent flops, Marvel has made a massive creative overhaul, including changing showrunners and directors. Daredevil: Rebirth.
Gunn and Safran have confirmed they have an 8-10 year plan for the franchise, which will be split into two main chapters, although the former will personally launch the DCU Superman: Legacyhe’s working closely with other creatives on other projects, including Andy Muschietti’s brave and bold and James Mangold’s swamp monster.Just like Feige did with filmmakers like Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy and Ryan Coogler black panther For the film, this approach better allows Muschietti, Mangold and others to find the perfect middle ground between their vision for the project and Gunn’s master plan for the franchise. While it’s unclear whether it will ultimately pay off, it’s still at least a step in the right direction to avoid the DCEU failing.
Source: James Gunn/Threads