James Gunn, the director of the upcoming Superman movie and co-head of DC Studios, has openly criticized Disney for Marvel’s recent struggles. He claims the push for too many movies and shows without finished scripts hurt the quality and popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Gunn shared his thoughts in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.
Gunn said Disney’s demand for more content, especially for Disney+, led to rushed productions. This caused many Marvel projects to fail at the box office and lose fan interest. He explained, “That wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. And it killed them.” Gunn clarified he doesn’t blame Marvel Studios but rather the corporate pressure from Disney.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has admitted the mistake. He announced plans to reduce Marvel’s output to two or three movies per year and two TV shows, down from four or more. Gunn is now applying lessons from Marvel’s mistakes to his work at DC Studios. He insists no DC movie will start filming without a finished script he approves.
“I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies,” Gunn said. “The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.” He recently canceled a DC project that was already greenlit because the script wasn’t ready.
Gunn’s first DCU movie, Superman, releases on July 11, 2025. Other projects like Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface are also in development, with scripts being a top priority. He admitted that Batman is the toughest character to get right in the new DC Universe. He wants to avoid copying Matt Reeves’ dark version or going back to campy Batman.
Marvel’s recent films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Thunderbolts* underperformed or flopped. Only Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a major hit. Gunn directed the Guardians trilogy for Marvel before moving to DC. He says his new approach focuses on quality over quantity.
Fans have mixed reactions. Some agree with Gunn, while others think superhero fatigue is also to blame. Marvel is now slowing down to fix its problems. The next big test is Fantastic Four: First Steps, releasing on July 25, 2025.
Gunn’s comments highlight a bigger issue in Hollywood. Many studios rush productions to meet streaming demands, leading to weaker movies. His strict script-first rule at DC could set a new standard if successful.
We use cookies to enhance your experience. By consenting, you allow us to process data like Browse behavior and unique IDs. Declining may affect some site features.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
