“Superman” director James Gunn believes modern superhero movies can no longer rely on the same gimmicks they did 10 and 15 years ago.
In a video interview with GQ published Wednesday morning, Gunn reflected on some of his own films, including 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and this year’s “Superman,” and opened up about the current state of comic book movies and Hollywood in general. “I don’t believe in superhero fatigue. I think there’s mediocre movie fatigue,” said the co-CEO of DC Studios.
Gunn explained that it’s simply no longer enough to give viewers the kind of big-screen crossovers and team-ups that initially made franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe feel so rare and special. “If the only thing we have to offer is a character showing up and seeing two characters together that we’ve never seen on screen before—that was really exciting when it first happened [but] nobody cares anymore,” the filmmaker noted.
You can watch Gunn’s full GQ interview in the video below.
Gunn added that he doesn’t think comic book movies are struggling because audiences are actually tired of superheroes. “This ‘concept’ of superhero fatigue is real in a way, because there have been a lot of superhero movies that maybe weren’t what they should have been,” he noted. “You see the same thing happening in general with movies in general—that people aren’t making the movies that need to bring people to theaters.”
“That’s why something like ‘Barbie’ works so well. ‘Barbie’ did something different than other big movies like it, and people went to the theater,” Gunn added, praising the 2023 box office hit. “I wrote Margot [Robbie] The Morning She Left. I said, ‘Thank you for helping keep theaters alive.’ I saw Greta Gerwig the other day. I was like, ‘Thank you.’”
He noted that there are other filmmakers like Gerwig who continue to make films that audiences want to go to the theater to see, including “The Batman” director Matt Reeves.
“He’s a filmmaker who makes big, pop movies, but they have soul and they’re different,” Gunn said of his fellow DC veteran. “Whether you like his movies or not isn’t the important thing. He’s doing something different. Being able to see those chances realized on a big screen is important.”
Finally, the “Superman” writer-director said he wants movie theaters to remain an important part of modern culture.
“I want the moviegoing experience to continue. I want my nieces and nephews and their children to be able to experience what I was able to experience going to a theater and seeing the magic of cinema,” Gunn told GQ. “I just think we need to take risks. It’s not happening because people are so afraid of making a mistake. I think we should make a lot more mistakes.”
