Posted in: HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: dc studios, dcu, james gunn

DC Studios: James Gunn's Advice on Separating News From Rumors/Gossip

DC Studios co-CEO and wrier/director James Gunn offered some personal advice on how to separate real news from rumors and gossip.

As we inch closer to the two-episode premiere of DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran's adult animated series Creature Commandos, the buzz surrounding fans' expectations of the New DCU has reached ear-bleeding levels. With that buzz has come a whole ton of rumors, gossip, and innuendo over what series and film projects are on the way. But as messy as it can be at times, it's not nearly as messy as it could be, thanks to Gunn's willingness to take to social media to shut down any nonsense out there. Unfortunately, not every studio has someone like Gunn doing that – a topic that someone brought up on Threads, noting that Marvel Studios could use someone who does the same thing. Gunn chose to tackle that topic – not from the Marvel Studios perspective but from the perspective of looking at the sources of the rumors and gossip and knowing how to judge their reliability properly. 

"Here's what I do when I don't talk personally to the filmmakers," Gunn offered in his response, laying out his four-point approach to handling entertainment news that comes his way that didn't come directly from the source. "1) I only fully trust stuff that's publicly announced (from Kevin & Marvel, me & DC, Disney & Star Wars etc), 2) If it comes from the mainstream trades (H. Reporter, Variety, Deadline), it's usually true (but not always), 3) If it's from trusted fan press it COULD be true but easily could not be, & 4) if it comes from most scoopers it's probably not true as their batting average isn't great. Some are obviously better than others!"

DC Studios' Creature Commandos: James Gunn Offers Details

Thanks to a video presentation from Gunn (busy working on Superman and Peacemaker Season 2) during the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival, we learned much more about what we can expect – and yes, those in attendance got a look at the adult animated series (though not released). The first look involved Waller (Viola Davis), G.I. Robot (Sean Gunn), Nina (Zoe Chao), and the topic of killing Nazis, followed by a fight scene between deep-sleeper Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Dr. Phosphorus (Alan Tudyk).

"It's a cornerstone of the legacy we've been entrusted to carry at DC Studios and plays an integral role in the vision for our future storytelling," Gunn shared with those in attendance. "Since taking the reins, our true north has been to bring DC film, TV, animation, and gaming into alignment under a single banner and bring a sense of unity and consistency into the DCU as a whole. This frees us to create a range of products that are diverse and compelling and deliver great stand-alone entertainment experiences on every medium while also being part of a larger story that we're telling within our unified DCU."

Gunn continued, "What this means in practical terms is that our characters can move in and out of animation or jump into a game or onto the big screen, but they will remain consistent throughout: same character, same history, same actor." For example, Davis is reprising her live-action role as Amanda Waller for the animated series, and Grillo's animated Rick Flag Sr. will be making the jump into live-action for the second season of Max's Peacemaker. From there, Gunn shared that the series will pick up "directly" from the first season finale of the John Cena-starring series – with Waller finding "her hands tied operationally."

"The new series picks up directly after our 'Peacemaker' season one finale, which leaves Waller with her hands tied operationally, meaning that she's no longer able to get away with putting human lives on the line to carry out her clandestine morally questionable missions. Instead, she recruits a ragtag band of misfits, not unlike the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker," Gunn revealed during the video presentation. That makes our leads a very different kind of hero than what viewers may have been used to in the past – and that's one of the things Gunn loves about the series: they "are actual literal monsters, and I can't wait for you to meet them. Creating this series has been one of the absolute joys of my life."

The role call for the adult animated series (and any potential live-action takes) includes Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., with Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana Rostovic, Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Clayface, and Will Magnus; David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein, Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot and Weasel; Steve Agee as John Economos, Anya Chalotra as Circe, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. In addition, we have Benjamin Byron Davis as Rupert Thorne, Michael Rooker as Sam, and Peter Serafinowicz as Victor Frankenstein. Linda Cardellini and Gregg Henry also joined the cast in guest star roles. Kevin Kiner and Clint Mansell (Peacemaker, Doom Patrol) are scoring the animated series,

First introduced by J.M. DeMatteis and Pat Broderick in Weird War Tales #93 (November 1980), the comic book series focused on Frankenstein's monster teaming with a werewolf, a vampire, and a gorgon to fight Nazis in World War II. The series has the distinction of being the first DCU project that Gunn & Safran gave the green light to (with Gunn having penned the series) and the first from DC Studios that will hit screens. In addition, the series is being cast with voice actors who could also play their characters in a live-action project down the road.

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