DC Studios co-head James Gunn has defended his decision to focus on some of the company’s more “niche” characters as he develops a slate of movies and TV shows. The filmmaker responded to a user on the social media platform Threads, who criticized some of Gunn’s creative choices, particularly singling out the likes of Sgt. Rock and Swamp Thing headlining their own projects. Gunn explained why these characters are just as deserving of the spotlight as some of DC’s heavy hitters.
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“[Don’t] put Swamp Thing in the corner,” Gunn posted. “That’s a project in development we’ve actually announced, and he’s an incredibly well known character with not only some of the greatest comics of all time but a successful film series and his own TV show, something that could be said of only a very small handful of DC characters.”
Swamp Thing was one of the movies unveiled back in 2023 when Gunn officially announced the first DC Studios line-up. Logan helmsman James Mangold is attached to direct, describing his take as gothic horror story that takes cues from Frankenstein and RoboCop. More recently, it was reported that Daniel Craig will star in a Sgt. Rock film, reuniting with his Queer director Luca Guadagnino. Neither project has a release date as of this writing.
[Related: Swamp Thing Director James Mangold Compares Gothic Horror Approach to Frankenstein and RoboCop]
Of course, DC Studios isn’t casting aside the company’s more prominent characters. Next summer sees the release of Gunn’s Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. Also in development is The Brave and the Bold, a film that examines Batman’s dynamic with Robin. On the TV side of things, Lanterns is coming through the pipeline, casting Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Hal Jordan and John Stewart. However, Gunn has cautioned that there’s a chance some titles in development may not see the light of day — it all depends on how the scripts come along and if they’re high quality.
Gunn has plenty of experience bringing obscure comic book characters to life. His mainstream breakout came with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel Studios, which turned niche figures like Star-Lord and Rocket into household names. Gunn has already worked his magic on some of DC’s lesser known characters via The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, both of which were well-received. He has a knack for tapping into what makes these seemingly minor characters special, translating them in a way that resonates with a wide audience. Those sensibilities make him the ideal choice to steer the DC reboot; he isn’t afraid to go outside the box, embracing all corners of the universe and treating them as equals worthy of the spotlight.
What’s more, this approach could help the DC Universe combat superhero fatigue. Audiences have been treated to films featuring the likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman before, and while there’s still a place for those titans in Gunn’s franchise, balancing them out with Swamp Thing and Sgt. Rock will keep things fresh by highlighting characters audiences aren’t familiar with. There will be a sense of novelty when those films come out, similar to how Guardians of the Galaxy (once seen as a massive risk) was a breath of fresh air for Marvel. Especially with directors like Mangold and Guadagnino involved, it will be exciting to see these comics adapted for the big screen, hopefully giving moviegoers new favorites to fall in love with.
