Movie director and writer James Gunn has shared his thoughts on the future of comic book and superhero films, calling them “really dumb” and “mostly boring for me right now.” Speaking to the Irish Times, Gunn said comic book and superhero films run the risk of fading in popularity if they don’t mix things up and try out new approaches.
“We know about the way cowboy films went, and the way war films went,” he said. “I don’t know, I think you don’t have to be a genius to put two and two together and see that there’s a cycle to those sorts of films, you know, and that the only hope for the future of the comic book and superhero films is to change them up. They’re really dumb. And they’re mostly boring for me right now.”
Gunn went on to say that he was a big fan of comic book and superhero movies at the beginning. He said he was blown away by the visual effects when he saw Superman as a kid. Later on, he was a big fan of Iron Man from Marvel, again, for the visual effects that showed Tony Stark flying around in his supersuit. “And that was a beautiful thing to be able to do. But if the movies don’t change, it’s gonna get really, really boring,” he said.
Gunn tempered his comments by acknowledging that some superhero and comic book movies these days are innovating, but in general, he hasn’t been blown away by what he’s seen of late.
“There are people trying to do some different things with superheroes. So it’s not it’s not 100% a rule that everybody isn’t, but a lot of superhero films are boring. And so for me, I think it’s just about bringing in other elements,” he said.
Gunn directed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and its sequel, and he’s lined up to direct 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 as well. He also directed The Suicide Squad, which releases on August 6, and he’s writing and directing the spin-off TV show Peacemaker. Outside of that, Gunn is attached to write and direct the Guardians of the Galaxy holiday special.
Exactly what new elements Gunn will bring to the table with these films remains to be seen. But the director has said Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will tell a “heavier” story, which could speak to what he’s trying to achieve in the space that will help set the movie apart.
“It’s pretty heavy actually. It’s a heavier story, so it’s an emotional process to go through,” Gunn told Entertainment Weekly of the script.
Before Gunn started working with Marvel and DC, he made the wacky and wonderful superhero movie Super starring Rainn Wilson, a film about a person with no superhuman abilities.
