Superhero fatigue is certainly real for many moviegoers. The seemingly non-stop churning out of projects by Marvel and DC has burned out many fans of the superhero genre, especially when many of those projects feel less inspired than lofty. Avengers: Endgame or The Dark Knight. even James Gunn Who is now also in charge of DC Studios Peter Safran, admits that there’s too much superhero content out there these days, but he still believes in a bright future for the over-saturated genre with the right approach. Speaking in one of its episodes you are inside podcast, Gunn assured that the DC film and television slate wouldn’t go overboard with new content and mocked-up stories that didn’t try to differentiate themselves from typical superhero stories.
Along with Safran, Gunn already has a loaded slate planned for DC’s future under their direction, including plenty of films. Superman: Legacy And Bold and courageous As well as television series Animal Commando, Booster GoldAnd Waller Among other things. There’s a lot on the docket, but it’s spilled over as part of DC’s ten-year plan to get back on track. Gunn assured that DC Studios will not overextend itself and oversaturate the market with mediocre superhero content. “We’re going to be very careful with the product we put out and make sure everything is as good as it can be,” he said.
The main thing he wants DC to avoid, however, is making superhero movies for no reason other superhero movies are popular. He personally finds that lack of creativity is what ultimately burns people out in such stories, adding:
“People get really lazy with their superhero stories. And they get to the point where, ‘Oh, it’s a superhero, let’s make a movie about it.’ And then, ‘Oh, let’s make a sequel, because the first one did so well,’ and they’re not thinking, ‘Why is this story special? What makes this story different from other stories? What’s the story? The heart of it all? Why this character? Important? What makes this story different is that it fulfills the need for people to see it in the theater?”
Where superhero films really end up losing ground is in lackluster third acts that don’t hit the genre’s expected heights or that don’t pay off the characters’ arcs in any meaningful way. “People have gotten a little lazy and there’s a lot of beef, pow, bum stuff happening in the movies and I’m seeing third acts of superhero films where I don’t really think there’s a rhyme or reason to what’s going on,” he continued. “I don’t care about letters. And they’ve become too common.” Gunn is no stranger to creating characters that fans care deeply about. The Guardians of the Galaxy The trilogy has become one of Marvel’s best-performing and best-received IPs because of how much care is taken in its found misfit family. Not to mention, the films never feel flat in the third act, delivering emotional punch that wraps up the arcs of Star-Lord and company satisfyingly.
Superhero stories need to embrace other genres, Gunn says
In terms of how to make more films that touch audiences in a meaningful way, Gunn says it starts with embracing other genres. Superheroes are not necessarily a genre, but a vehicle to explore other genres, be it action, comedy, horror or a mix. They should never fall into “that middle-of-the-road kind of genre and tone that a lot of superhero movies have,” says Gunn, but instead employ some creativity by telling compelling stories through the lens of superheroes:
“I like very serious superhero movies and I like very comedic superhero movies. I like ones that are a murder mystery but it’s about superheroes. I like to see these different kinds of stories, as opposed to seeing the same story told over and over again.”
Given what success superhero stories have had of late, Gunn isn’t wrong. sneak attackMarvel’s new Cold War espionage story with a very human perspective on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), has resonated with more audiences than any of Marvel’s other recent projects Matt Reevesof batman It was also a success for embracing its darkness, creating a more mature Batman film that fans loved and Gunn rightly invested in as part of the Elseworlds strategy. Meanwhile, the song has its own series peacemaker Loved for its comedy focus John Cena. That’s not to mention the unbridled creativity, artistry, and heart thrown into the animated Spider-Verse Films All these projects have taken on their own identity rather than the generic superhero umbrella. It’s that same variety that can be seen throughout the DC slate that Gunn and Saffron make, and gives some hope that the studio will do better on their heads.
Time will tell if Gunn and Saffron’s DC slate will fare better than the last generation of film and television, but they seem to be on track for success. Their next film is currently on the docket Blue Beetle Which will release on 18th August. Among these, look for the appearance of Gunn you are inside Down below.
