It Sounds Like James Gunn’s DCU Is Safe Under David Ellison (For Now)

Cinematic universes are not a sure thing. Plenty have come and gone since the MCU planted its flag as the king of such territory. The easiest to point to is The Dark Universe, which would have seen the Universal Monsters colliding across different films. Ron Howard and crew spent years trying to get Stephen King’s The Dark Tower off the ground and potentially onto film and TV screens, but alas, it fell right out of the gate. And look, one of the biggest failures was the DCEU, which ultimately crumbled because the people in charge didn’t know what they wanted.

While I am someone who enjoyed Zack Snyder’s DC films, it’s undeniable that public reception writ large was mixed at best. Because of that, and box office numbers that they were not happy with, the people in charge of the DCEU pried it from Snyder’s hands with… no real idea of what they wanted to do next. What followed was a hodgepodge of half-baked plans that resulted in movies that often felt like Frankenstein monsters assembled by too many masters than films (with a few notable standouts like Birds of Prey, The Suicide Squad, and Blue Beetle).

At the end of the day, if the people in charge don’t like what you are doing, then it doesn’t matter if you have Batman in your arsenal. You and your ideas can be cast aside pretty easily, and I thought that might be the case with James Gunn once David Ellison and crew purchased Warner Bros. The man seems to want to put his own stamp on things, already kickstarting a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cinematic universe despite purchasing one that had just started and was already successful.

If he wanted to, Ellison could wipe the DC slate clean. And there’s plenty of reason to assume that he would. Not only would it allow him to shepherd his own vision to the screen, but Gunn’s DCU faced right-wing backlash last year because he claimed Superman was an immigrant story, and Ellison’s daddy helped prop up the current Presidential administration, who, ya know, hates that stuff. However, that administration is polling about as well as sour milk, so Ellison could see which way the wind is blowing and adjust accordingly.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Supergirl producer Lars P. Winther explained that Ellison has already met with Gunn and crew, and is allegedly a fan. “He’s pretty open to what we’re doing. We do have a slate and a lot of it — obviously, Clayface is already coming out. We already have the Lanterns TV show. On those things, the train’s left the station,” he explained. “So we’re good. But he’s a big fan, he’s been great with us. He’s giving us kind of what we want. So far, everything’s good.” That’s a pretty big “so far,” if ya ask me.

While, ideally, Ellison is being truthful in his treatment of Gunn and crew, it’s difficult to take that at face value. The man could change his mind on a whim (or potential FCC violation) tomorrow. Also, there’s no way he won’t shave some things off, because that’s what happens after mergers. Directions change, people lose jobs, and the new company claims to be better than ever. I’m a big fan of what James Gunn is doing so far. So, hopefully, Ellison is shooting straight. But I have doubts.