(Image Source: Pinterest, Warner Bros. Pictures)
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, currently promoting his new animated series "Creature Commandos," recently sat down with host Josh Horowitz on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast to discuss a range of DC-related topics.
During their conversation, Gunn admitted that Robert Pattinson's "The Batman" series, which is established as a standalone universe, was indeed considered for inclusion in the new DC Universe when he first took over DC Studios. He stated, "I did think about it for a bit. I always consider all possibilities. This kind of question is unanswerable because you know how people will react. It would be foolish if I didn't envision various directions, but I am committed to telling stories within the DC Universe, and also committed to telling stories within Elseworlds universes. I want Elseworlds stories to have creative freedom, like Superman's story in 'Red Son' is very different, and we hope to present these characters in different ways."
While Gunn hopes to develop diverse stories for these characters, some narratives currently hold no interest for him, such as the origin stories of Superman and Batman. He stated, "I won't guarantee that I'll retell Batman's origin story in the future; I can only say I have no plans to do so right now. I'm tired of constantly seeing the origin stories of Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. For a long time to come, I don't want to see them again. But if someone can come up with a great origin story that truly amazes me, then I'd be happy to see it."
(Image Source: HBO)
When asked if he would ever consider remaking "Watchmen" in the future, Gunn hesitated for a long moment before responding, "Um... well... I have a lot of respect for Alan Moore (the original author of 'Watchmen'), a lot of respect, so... I'll leave it at that. But I really liked the TV series version." Moore is famously against adaptations of his work, so Gunn's comment likely implies he doesn't want to go against Moore's wishes.
Towards the end of the show, Gunn recounted a recent amusing incident: being mistaken by a fan for Zack Snyder, the director of the "Watchmen" film. Gunn recalled that the fan mistook him for Snyder at the premiere of "Super / Man: The Christopher Reeve Story," and then privately messaged Gunn the next day to apologize, leaving Gunn both perplexed and amused.