DC's James Gunn Blasts "Cameo Porn" in Recent Superhero Movies

Superman: Legacy is currently on the horizon, bringing to life the first film of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe. The film, which is written and directed by Gunn, has been assembling a pretty surprising ensemble cast, and many are eager to see how they factor into the movie itself. In a recent post on the social media platform Threads, Gunn assured fans that Legacy will not fall into one particular trope of recent superhero movies — a deluge of cameos that don't actually service the films' stories.

As Gunn put it, there has to be a narrative reason for characters sharing the screen together, otherwise it becomes "cameo porn." This comes after some fans had worried that Legacy would fall victim to that trend, thanks to a number of other established heroes being a part of the cast.

What Is Superman: Legacy About?

Per DC Studios, Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. Superman: Legacy will be written and directed by Gunn, and will serve as the first film installment of his and Peter Safran's DC Universe reboot.

"It's not an origin story," DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran told reporters earlier this year. "It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He has kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned."

Who Is in the Cast of Superman: Legacy?

Superman: Legacy will star David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho.

"I'm gobsmacked," Carrigan revealed in a recent interview with Deadline. "I think it's just such an exciting new chapter, and such an exciting new chapter for DC. I think this movie has the potential to just really knock everyone's socks off, and with James Gun at the helm, I think it's just going to be so much fun."

"I'm thrilled to be a part of it. I'm honored to be playing this part, and I'm playing a hero," Carrigan continued. "So, on top of everything, that's pretty rad."

What Is On the DC Universe Slate?

As Gunn and Safran revealed earlier this year, the initial DC Studios slate for "Gods and Monsters" will include movies for Superman: Legacy, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Swamp Thing, and The Authority. It will include the HBO Max television shows Waller, Booster Gold, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and an animated Creature Commandos series.

"A lot of people think it's going to be Marvel 2.0, and definitely I learned a lot of stuff at Marvel. I think that we have a lot of differences," Gunn explained at the time. "We are telling a big, huge, central story that is like Marvel, except for, I think that we're a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning because we've gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely. But we're also creating a universe that is like Star Wars, where there's different times, different places, different things, or Game of Thrones, where characters are a little bit more morally complex." 

What do you think of James Gunn's new comments about superhero movies? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!