Zack Snyder's Worst WB Problem Threatens James Gunn's DCU - And It Could Get Messy

In late 2022, comic book movie fans received the best news they'd heard in years when it was announced that James Gunn would be heading DC Studios alongside fellow CEO Peter Safran. While the announcement had been met with great anticipation given Gunn's previous triumphs under both the Marvel and DC banners, there may now be cause for concern: it turns out the new DC Universe comes with some strings attached that could paint a problematic picture. 

Along with theatrical DC Universe releases such as "Superman: Legacy" and "The Brave and the Bold," DC Studios is also set to produce several streaming series for Max. However, shows such as "Lanterns," "Booster Gold," and Gunn's own "Waller" will not be helmed solely by the team at DC. Rather, Max will also exercise a level of creative control in the creation of these series. This is unlike the way in which Marvel Studios has operated its streaming content, with Kevin Feige's division responsible for the creative side while Disney+ gets the shows onto our screens. 

For Warner Brothers to be kicking off its relationship with Gunn in such a fashion is not the best sign. Not only is it odd considering the critical success that Gunn achieved with both "The Suicide Squad" and "Peacemaker," but ironically enough, in the company's efforts to improve its comic book movie output, the move harkens back to some of the biggest mistakes it made with another filmmaker who was initially set to launch DC's film unit into box office glory. 

The only DC story that might be more tragic than Bruce Wayne's origin is the ordeal director Zack Snyder endured during the production of "Justice League." The fiasco may have ended happily with the birth of Snyder's superior director's cut, but it came at the cost of fan trust — which Warner Brothers likely doesn't want to lose as it starts rebuilding its superhero banner. 

In an effort to create a more Marvel-esque adventure with 2017's "Justice League," Warner Brothers put pressure on Snyder by having production heads closely supervise him on set, mandating a two-hour runtime, and having "The Avengers" director Joss Whedon perform rewrites and eventually take on directorial duties. These headaches, combined with the anguish Snyder was going through following the death of his daughter Autumn, resulted in him exiting the film. 

Many loyal fans were disheartened with the way that Warner Brothers treated Snyder. That led to the high-profile campaign that resulted in Warner Brothers granting Snyder the ability to rework the film into his intended four-hour vision with "Zack Snyder's Justice League," which received far warmer critical and fan reactions across the board. 

Snyder's story should serve as a dark reminder to Warner Brothers and Max of how corporate intent can negatively affect both filmmakers and a fan base. With James Gunn involved as both a director and CEO at DC, here's hoping he won't be subject to the same kind of meddling as Snyder — whether it's from Max or execs even higher up the studio ladder.