These days, James Gunn is known for giving us the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies and for heading up the new DC Studios over at Warner Bros. As the director gears up to unleash his “Superman” movie, we’re all eager to see whether Gunn can finally make DC truly competitive in the superhero movie marketplace, even as audience interest may be waning.
Of course, “Superman” isn’t Gunn’s first foray into DC territory. Prior to helming DC Studios, his bloody, messy sequel “The Suicide Squad” was well-received even as a day-and-date pandemic release hampered its commercial performance. Meanwhile, his TV series “Peacemaker” was a vulgar, violent masterpiece, and will soon return for a second season that is set to meld DC animation and live-action. His “Guardians” movies for Marvel had been family-friendly affairs, and both of these DC projects allowed the director to embrace a more lurid, adult sensibility, and it will be interesting to see how the filmmaker works that into his vision for DC Studios. Will Warner Bros. demand a more accessible, wholesome tone for his big budget movies? Or will Gunn be allowed to turn DC Studios into an R-rated version of its Marvel equivalent?
If Warner CEO David Zaslav does rein in Gunn’s more mature impulses, it wouldn’t be the first time the man experienced such limitations. Back in 2002, Gunn wrote the live-action “Scooby-Doo” movie for Warners, producing a PG-13 script that was full of mature, racy humor. It was Gunn’s first studio movie, with the then up-and-comer having only made “Tromeo and Juliet” and “The Specials” prior to penning “Scooby-Doo.” But when the film debuted, it was in a sanitized form, with Warners recutting the movie to appeal more to children. The result wasn’t quite what Gunn and director Raja Gosnell were hoping for — just take a look at that 32% Rotten Tomatoes score. But ever since, Gunn has harbored a fondness for his original vision, posting a lengthy tribute to the R-rated cut to Facebook on the film’s 15th anniversary.
While the R-rated “Scooby-Doo” cut continues to languish in the Warner Bros. vaults, it looks as though Gunn can at least take heart that audiences are embracing the theatrical cut of film more than 20 years after it first debuted.
