Snyder Cut Finally Taught WB a Lesson, and Hiring James Gun Proves It
James Gunn was recently announced as co-CEO (along with Peter Safran) of DC Studios. In his short time in the position, he's already handled responses to fans better than his predecessors.
There have been fan campaigns for DC and Warner Bros. to release the "Ayer Cut" of 2016's Suicide Squad – director David Ayer's original vision for the film before studio interference. On top of that, #SaveLegendsofTomorrow has been trending as fans hope to bring back the cancelled CW show.
A similar push happened years ago as fans sought to get the Zack Snyder cut of 2017's Justice League released.
Snyder left mid-production after a family tragedy, with Joss Whedon taking his place. Despite many story and tone changes in filming and post-production, WB used Snyder's name to promote the movie, claiming it was more his film than Whedon's. As if that wasn't already bad enough, when fans began campaigning for the Snyder Cut, WB released anonymous reports from employees bashing their fan base for asking for it. They never released an official statement, instead hiding behind anonymous quotes.
Eventually, the Snyder Cut was indeed released to HBO Max, but not before Warner Bros. burned a lot of fans.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios have been facing a similar predicament with Gunn at the helm, but he's taken a far more diplomatic approach.
On November 6, he posted a string of tweets talking to the fans who were hopeful for the Ayer Cut and a Legends of Tomorrow revival.
He said that most of the fan tweets he'd seen on the subject were "enthusiastic and respectful," and that as the new heads of DC Studios, he and Safran believe it's important they acknowledge their fans. He said they want to hear what they want.
In just a few short tweets, he was able to directly address the situation. He didn't give empty promises to meet fans' desires, nor did he disparage them for not trusting the creators. Instead, he opened up a dialogue and said with earnest honesty that his focus at the moment is the story going forward.
That respectful dialogue with fans shows why Warner Bros. hired Gunn to co-lead DC Studios. They learned their lessons from the mistakes in handling the Snyder Cut debacle, no longer wanting to cause friction between fan and filmmaker. While respecting his films' directors is important, so is respecting the fans.
The DCU has struggled with poor management over the past few years, but the hiring of Gunn and Safran already seems to be a step in the right direction.