James Gunn unaffected by 'disrespectful outcry' from fans following Henry Cavill's exit as Superman, other changes
After various changes in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) that left fans still reeling from shock, including the news that Henry Cavill will no longer play as Superman, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has taken to Twitter to respond to the criticisms they are getting from their fans.
The Guardians of the Galaxy director and producer Peter Safran were previously given control over the studio back in October because of their "experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record."
Since then, they have announced changes over the studio's line-up of films, such as Wonder Woman 3 no longer moving forward. But the news that ruffled the feathers of fans the most was how Cavill will be exiting his role as the heroic icon Superman after portraying him since 2013.
On Twitter, Gunn wrote that when he and Safran took the reigns of the studio, they were aware that there would be people online who could be "uproarious and unkind, to say the least."
He proceeded to defend their decisions on the controversial developments of DCEU.
"Our choices for the [DCEU] are based upon what we believe is best for the story and best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts and integrity and always with the story in mind," Gunn wrote.
One of the things Peter & I were aware of when we took the job as heads of DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious & unkind, to say the least.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2022
Despite the hurtful words thrown at them, they are remaining firm with the changes.
"No one loves to be harassed or called names—but, to be frank, we’ve been through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions," Gunn underscored.
"[W]e knew we would sometimes have to make difficult & not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us. But this means little to us in comparison to our jobs as artists & custodians in helping to create a wide & wonderful future for DC," he wrote.
We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, & we knew we would sometimes have to make difficult & not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 19, 2022
In a previous tweet, Gunn shared that he and Safran already have a slate of DC films that are ready to go and that they'll be sharing information about their first projects starting at the beginning of the new year.