James Gunn is recovering from a torrid time of allegations, being first fired and then reinstated as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It seems like he’s finally back in the swing of things, though, as the filmmaker, who’s also one of the producers behind new release Brightburn, recently confirmed that he’ll be involved in upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe efforts.
Despite his conflicted relationship with Marvel and Disney, Gunn was still an executive producer on Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and is clearly valued for his creative vision. Asked about his future contributions to the franchise, the director explained, “I mean, I’ll keep producing stuff, you know,” but also noted that he prefers playing a more direct role in filmmaking than just being a creative consultant on a larger universe.
“I think that at the end of the day, producing something like [Brightburn] — where I really was on set every single day and working with [director] Dave [Yarovesky] and working with Elizabeth [Banks] and trying to make this movie — is a little bit more fulfilling in some ways than what I do with, say Marvel, where I’m giving notes on scripts and helping them out with the character and guiding an overall thing. I think, yeah, I’m a filmmaker, so I like making movies and telling stories.”
Along with his role in the MCU, which will keep him busy for the next few years, Gunn also has to deliver DC and Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad, which the director has been steadily teasing glimpses of. He’s definitely got a lot on his plate then, but just like everyone else, we’re happy that Gunn’s been given this second chance and considering his track record, think that he should certainly continue to play an important role in the future of the MCU.
What do you think, though, about Gunn’s future, and ability to deliver on some of the most anticipated comic book movies of the next few years? As ever, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below and know that The Suicide Squad will arrive on August 6th, 2021 while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be with us at some point that year as well.