Some fans of Zack Snyder’s vision of superhero cinema seem pretty enthusiastic about having four different movies in 2023 to root against under new leadership at DC Studios. Late last year, filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran were named as co-heads of DC Studios. But before Gunn and Safran can begin pumping out new content, the company still has to release its final slate from the previous regime.
The offloading of old properties has already started: There was the relatively-unsuccessful Shazam: Fury of the Gods released in March. In June, The Flash seeks to cap off the DCEU as we know it. Then in August, we’ll see Blue Beetle, followed by Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in December, both of which could get sequels under Safran and Gunn’s reign — or they could simply act as little codas to the universe that started with Snyder’s Man of Steel all the way back in 2013.
Some Twitter users consider 2023 to be the first year of Gunn and Safran’s quality control; thus, they are cackling at the lukewarm critical notes and mediocre box office of the Shazam sequel, as well as fist-pumping recent news that Flash‘s box office might suffer due to general superhero fatigue, the various scandals surrounding star Ezra Miller, and a possible boycott of the film because of Miller’s behavior. Safe to say, certain diehard Snyder fans are having a great time:
Of course, not all of the responses accommodated this narrative:
Given that Snyder stans represent a fanbase known for being particularly loud and opinionated online, it’s worth reminding everyone that Gunn and Safarin did not have a hand in making any of the DC movies releasing this year. They inherited them when they got the job.
Numerous users brought this up to the author of the incendiary thread in question, whose response was to question who these movies were produced by if not Gunn and Safarin, despite that they have the entirety of the internet at their disposal to answer that question. This is aired out in the exchange below:
Heck, The Flash finished principal photography a full year before Gunn and Safran were brought on board and scored highly at multiple test screenings while Gunn was still in post-production on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. This is all information that’s accessible to people who can type, so it’s pretty clear the pot is being stirred for fun here.
Plus, where’s the evidence that Blue Beetle isn’t going to break even and Aquaman 2 is going to tank? Blue Beetle is finally going to appeal to a demographic that makes up a huge amount of the U.S. box office, and James Wan is at the helm of Aquaman 2 — he’s made a career out of taking lame scripts and directing them until they are one of the most eye-popping, exciting things you’ve ever seen. The first Aquaman springs to mind, for some reason.
It’s still possible that all four DCEU films will underperform at the box office this year — but that’s also happening over at Marvel. Maybe people just want fewer superhero movies. Or maybe the movies aren’t as good as they used to be. The point is, the SnyderVerse isn’t coming back. And any DCEU failures this year will just make executives keener to start selling Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy movie.
