James Gunn has faced some of the most hostile criticism of any person to take over a movie studio. After DC made some serious changes in their release schedule–including axing a third Wonder Woman movie and booting Henry Cavil from the Superman role–James Gunn took some major flack online. Now, none other than Kevin Smith is coming to James Gunn’s defense. Fly, fatass, fly!
On the FatMan Beyond podcast (as per ComicBook.com), writer/director Kevin Smith defended James Gunn, saying he’s taking on more roles than typical studio heads–and doing a damn good job at it. “I like how James is just being his own publicist for the entire DC/Warner Bros. division. Whatever it is. Like, it’s smart. Everyone should be as accountable as he is. I know a lot of people are like, ‘Ah, I don’t like what he’s doing!’ But, at least he’s answering questions. He’s not hiding. And he’s not being shitty about it…He’s like, ‘Look, we’re doing a thing. And we’re sorry if that hurts some people’s feelings.’”
Kevin Smith continued, offering a just comparison to how DC (by way of James Gunn) handles such matters as opposed to Marvel. “I respect that he’s answering questions. He doesn’t have to. How often does anybody over at Marvel go, ‘Alright, let’s address the fans’ concerns!’ It doesn’t really happen.” Smith has a point here, as Gunn has been active in deflecting rumors, which he and co-CEO Peter Safran surely anticipated. But then again, maybe Kevin Smith is trying to get another Superman script going!
While Kevin Smith has yet to direct a full-blown superhero movie, he (in)famously was a major player in the doomed Superman Lives project. Still, superhero properties have gotten plenty of love throughout his filmography, building on his love for the genre and comic books as a whole. In the meantime, Smith is working on his latest horror movie, Moose Jaws, which, when you think about it, does sound like a potential superhero…
How do you feel James Gunn has handled the online criticism? Does Kevin Smith have a solid point in his defense of James Gunn? Let us know your take in the comments section below.