James Gunn has only been the co-CEO of DC Studios for a few days, but he's already showing how Warner Bros. Discovery learned an important lesson from the Snyder Cut of Legends of Tomorrow, Gunn showed a very different approach than previous WB and DC executives, proving why he's a great fit for the job.
In the past, Warner Bros. ignored fan campaigns publicly and executives would put out anonymous quotes disparaging the fans, stoking animosity and creating a toxic environment. While Gunn's Ayer Cut response didn't promise to give fans what they're asking for, his acknowledgment and explanation is a big step forward toward healing a fractured relationship with fans and finally building out the future of the DCU.
Warner Bros. Response to the Snyder Cut Made Everything Worse
Warner Bros. made every wrong decision when it comes to the Snyder Cut. First, the decision to get rid of Zack Snyder and rewrite and reshoot Justice League with Joss Whedon in the first place was a huge mistake, as the final product shows, but they also marketed the movie using Snyder's name and insisted it was true to Snyder's vision for the movie when it clearly wasn't. Then, once demand for the Snyder Cut's release began to gain traction, a report was published by the obvious Snyder had completed principal photography and a significant portion of post-production.
Warner Bros. never issued any official statements on the Snyder Cut, but whenever the topic trended on social media, an anonymous quote from someone at Warner Bros. would get published suggesting the movie didn't exist, that the theatrical cut was similar enough to Snyder's version, that there was no real demand for it, or that the fans asking for it were toxic and shouldn't be validated. All of these claims about the movie have long since been shown to be false, and while toxic fandoms can certainly be a problem, that toxicity was also being stoked by reactions to the campaigns, with fans understandably feeling gaslit. By releasing these quotes to the media instead of responding directly, fans and the press were pit against each other, which only reinforced the toxicity narrative.
Warner Bros. Failed to Offer a Viable Alternative DC Movie Plan
Outside of the poor messaging in Justice League team-ups in the near future.
So, for any fans who had been sold on these characters and hyped up for Snyder's version of the universe after hundreds of millions of dollars in marketing had been spent and contributed to the $3 billion of box office revenue had been brought in for the franchise's first four movies, the only way to get more of that seemed to be to the Snyder Cut campaign. By the end, the Snyder Cut campaign wasn't solely about Snyder himself, but also Henry Cavill fans who wanted more of him as Superman, Ben Affleck fans who wanted more of him as Batman, and etc.
The campaign eventually came to a crescendo in November 2019 and the movie was finally greenlit, but even then the studio didn't learn. The movie hadn't even been on HBO Max for a full week before former WB CEO Ann Sarnoff said in an interview that there'd be no more Snyder DC movies and that the fans who campaigned for it were toxic, despite the movie finally winning over some of its biggest detractors and finally creating a sense of excitement around the potential future of the franchise. In the interview, Sarnoff again suggested there was a plan in the works, but the Snyder Cut's teases for Darkseid, the Knightmare future, and the formation of the Justice League was far more exciting than any vague alternative Warner Bros. was teasing at the time.
In fact, with the release of Black Adam and the return of Henry Cavill's Superman, it's also been revealed that Warner Bros. didn't only lack a plan for Superman, but former DC Films president Walter Hamada had actively shut down multiple attempts to bring back Henry Cavill as Superman, despite clear appreciation and demand for his version of the character. The cumulative effect of these decisions wasn't only a franchise that was dead in the water, but a studio that had stoked hostility and division in its own audience.
Why James Gunn's Ayer Cut Response is Perfect
James Gunn has only been one of DC Studios' CEOs for a few days, but his response to the campaign for the release of David Ayer's cut of Suicide Squad already avoids all the problems created by previous Warner Bros. leadership. First of all, he didn't only acknowledge the campaign for the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad, but also the Save Legends of Tomorrow campaign and "fan for other DC projects over the years," treating all fans on equal footing instead of otherizing any particular segment. In addition, he specifically states "the majority of these requests were enthusiastic & respectful," which sets a far better tone for the relationship with fans than previous WB responses, especially considering he tweeted it himself from his personal instead of giving it as an anonymous quote to the trades.
As with past WB istrations, Gunn doesn't reveal any particulars about the plan he's developing for the DCU, but he does offer more transparency into the process, saying "we are listening & open to everything...But all our initial focus is on the story going forward, hammering out the new DCU, & telling the Biggest Story Ever Told across multiple films, television shows, & animated projects." It's fairly plain that the Ayer Cut of Suicide Squad isn't currently a part of the "story going forward," but Gunn wisely says he and co-CEO Peter Safran are open to any ideas, leaving the possibility of revisiting the Ayer Cut down the road.
With Cavill's Superman back and Ben Affleck's Batman back and Gunn clearly embracing some of the past DCU storytelling by bringing back the original cast of Suicide Squad and using Snyder's version of Justice League for their Peacemaker cameo, it's clear that his plan for the future will service some of the characters and stories fans are invested in from early DCU movies, meaning his response doesn't seem to say "you're bad for liking that" as previous Warner Bros. responses suggested.
Warner Bros. Discovery is going through immense changes, and the formation of DC Studios and hiring of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs is a big part of that. Fortunately, those changes seem to suggest they learned some important lessons from the Snyder Cut that previous WB leaders didn't understand. Having James Gunn, a filmmaker, as a studio head shows a commitment to respecting directors, and Gunn shows a commitment to respecting the fans. The saga of the DCEU, now the DCU, has been a crazy ride, but more and more the studio is showing that it's healing from years of bad management and learning some important lessons from past mistakes.
