James Gunn was pictured on the red carpet yesterday attending the premiere for The Flash, although a few armchair body language experts think that maybe the new head of DC didn’t really want to be there.
Gunn posed for the cameras alongside fellow head of the DCU, Peter Safran, the film’s director, Andy Muschietti and controversial star Ezra Miller. In a video of the group on the red carpet shared on Twitter, the group appear quite close together, but Gunn stood stiff, a little more removed from the rest and with his arms down by his sides. At one point he brings his hands together but quickly puts them back down as if he doesn’t know where to put them.
The whole spectacle is a little bizarre, especially considering everyone else seems so laid back and relaxed (although some pointed out that Miller looked a bit like they wanted to be elsewhere too). Those who watched the video closely were quick to point out just how odd Gunn’s behavior appeared, with some branding it as an awkward display.
“This is awkward as f*** holy s*** LOL”
Others noted how it looks like the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director doesn’t even want to be there.
“James Gunn does not want to be there lmao”
“James kinda doesn’t seem like he wants to be there at all”
“He doesn’t want to be in the group picture is the vibe I get from this”
Perhaps something happened behind the scenes that made Gunn feel tense on the carpet. Or maybe it’s more to do with the quality of the film itself. While it initially received praise from those at DC like Henry Cavil and even Gunn himself who called it his favorite film of the year, the outlook is now looking a little more negative. It’s hard to tell from one video alone; it could be that everyone is overthinking the whole situation and we’re all just losing our minds trying too hard to read into a normal group photo.
“How is taking a group photo awkward. Weird”
Perhaps James is tired of promoting DC films that continue to disappoint and he just wants this film out of the way so that he can press on with his fresh slate. Some fans have speculated as much.
“Gunn is like let’s get this over and done with already 😂”
“Gunn looks so done with this lol”
Regardless, once this film is out of the way, the next major DCU project will be Gunn’s own Superman: Legacy. Judging by his previous projects, we can be cautiously optimistic about the future of the DCU and we can only hope that he’ll be a bit more enthusiastic at his next premiere.