James Gunn is the architect of DCUbut the next series for which he gets a major credit will be very different from anything that came before it. James Gunn has been telling superhero stories for decades. Long before gaining notoriety as a writer and director of Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, he created films like Specials And Great.
Since then, Gunn has become co-head of DC Studios, with a mission to reinvent the DC Universe on the big and small screen. And so far he’s done a great job setting up the new DCU. But the DCU’s upcoming projects could be even bigger in showing what Gunn’s world will look like in the years to come.
Lanterns is the next DCU project to be produced by James Gunn
As co-head of DC Studios, James Gunn gets executive producer credit, alongside colleague Peter Safran, on every DCU project. And with that, it’s listed as an EP on Lanternsthe upcoming television series that will delve into the exploration of the Green Lantern Corps in the DCU.
As an executive producer, Gunn’s opinion carries a lot of weight, and with his role within DC Studios, he could easily step in to take control, request rewrites, or shut down a project altogether.
James Gunn is neither the writer nor the director of Lanterns
However, as an EP, Gunn is neither the writer nor director of the Lanterns series. Their role is more supervisory in nature, and creativity is managed and delivered by others. Because Gunn has been the writer and primary director or showrunner of every DCU project thus far, this makes Lanterns come out.
This is the first time Gunn has caved in and given someone else significantly more control over a single project that will help shape the DCU. In fact, the characters will play a huge role in the DCU going forward, especially if plans to bring the Justice League to the big screen are to come to fruition anytime over the next few years.
Lanterns will benefit from different creative styles for James Gunn
Gunn has already played a minor role in a larger project, with his pivotal role in the MCU working under Kevin Feige and helping create a larger narrative. But this is the first time he’s directly entrusted that responsibility to someone else, or at least the first time the public has seen the results of that trust.
Gunn will still have considerable influence in the development of the series, but with someone else’s signature all over the work, it is unlikely to have the same tone, charm, and humor as Gunn’s previous work. However, the DCU needs variety. Not every project should look like The suicide squad.
Lanterns will be a turning point for the DCU, followed in quick succession by films like Supergirl And clay faceboth also helmed by other writers and directors. And ultimately, this is what will define the DCU. Not just Gunn’s creations, but projects that help create a larger shared universe.
