The big problem with current superhero movies, according to James Gunn

The word “crisis” is a bit strong, but it can be said that current film production in the superhero genre is not going through a peak moment. Most of the films and series released by Marvel It is A.D in recent years it has been bitterly negative reviews and, in the case of feature films, lower-than-expected box office.

the works of James Gunn have been a rare exception in this regard. In addition to having maintained the breath of the film saga of Marvel Guardians of the Galaxyuntil its closure, with the third volume in the last month of May, the filmmaker commanded works such as the new version of the feature The Suicide Squad (2021) and the series Peacemaker (2022), both featuring DC characters. No wonder he rose to the position of co-CEO of dc studios beside Peter Safran and will direct the next movie of the Super manwith subtitle Legacy.

On the face of it, Gunn himself acknowledges that the timing of the superhero genre is not good. In a statement to the podcast Inside of You (via indiewire), the director revealed that he understands why people are getting tired of the works in this segment and explained how he hopes to avoid this type of reaction – which even affected The Flasha new feature from DC (still without James’ involvement) that has been doing poorly in the critics and at the box office.

“People got too lazy with their superhero stories. [Os estúdios] It got to the point where, like, ‘Oh, it’s a superhero, let’s make a movie about it.’ And then, ‘Oh, let’s do a sequel, because the first one did really well.

The excessive search for consolidating the box office to the point of confirming a sequel leads, for the professional, to the big problem of all this: the studios are not thinking more about the stories. This makes the works look generic.

“But they’re not thinking, ‘Why is this story special? What sets this story apart from other stories? What is the story at the heart of it all? Why is this character important? What makes this story different that fills the need for people in theaters to see it?’”

More spectacle than character

Another point highlighted by James Gunn is the spectacularization of superhero films. In the director’s view, recent works have stopped emphasizing the characters and their plots to transform everything into a kind of visual “circus”.

“People got a little lazy and there’s a lot of shit going on in the movies. I’ve seen third acts of superhero movies where there really doesn’t seem to be a purpose to what’s going on. They don’t care about the characters anymore. They have become too generic.”

different stories

With a less than positive scenario ahead, James Gunn hopes to alter DC’s perspective with films that present different stories. The filmmaker is openly opposed to repeating the same plot.

“I like very serious superhero movies and very comedic superhero movies. I like ones that are like a mystery movie, an investigation around a murder – but with superheroes. I like seeing these different types of stories rather than watching the same story told over and over again.”

This is proven from the upcoming projects announced for DC. Superman: Legacy must follow the basic formula of superhero movies, but the studio has announced features like The Brave and the Boldwhich is expected to introduce members of the Bat-family; The Authoritywith superhumans in an anti-hero and adult footprint; Swamp monster, horror plot inspired by the eponymous character; It is lanternsseries with two famous versions of Green Lantern in an investigation proposal.

However, it will take some time for fans to see all these works properly materialized. Superman: Legacywhich should start the new DC universe, does not debut until July 2025.