The Suicide Squad writer/director James Gunn doesn't think it's strange the DC Extended Universe can encompass R-rated movies in addition to family-oriented films like Shazam! What's more, he believes it gives the DCEU an advantage over the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I think it’s great," Gunn told New York Times. "That is the one of the ways in which DC can distinguish itself from Marvel." He went on to allude to his Guardians of the Galaxy movies, describing them as "very different" from other MCU films, "But not as different as 'Shazam!' and 'Suicide Squad,' however. I think the current batch of folks over at Warner Bros. are really interested in building out a world and creating something that’s unique to the filmmakers. We’re in a strange time, so anything can happen."
The MCU reflects the creative vision of Marvel Studios President and Marvel Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige, who has overseen the property since the very beginning. While Gunn acknowledged Feige's hands-on role in the MCU's direction, he also said Marvel and DC's approaches to their movie franchises aren't as different as most people assume.
"There’s no doubt Kevin Feige is way more involved with editing than people are at Warner Bros," Gunn explained. "He gives more notes. You don’t have to take them and I don’t always take them. Then again, I had more problems. If you saw the first cut of 'Guardians' 1, it had more problems, because that was my first time making something so gigantic and there’s some learning to what works and what doesn’t, carving away the excess stuff. The truth is, as Marvel goes on and Kevin Feige starts to amass ownership of half of all film in general, he’s more spread out."
After being fired and re-hired by Marvel Studios when his old offensive tweets resurfaced, Gunn will return to the MCU to direct Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He will also continue to collaborate with Warner Bros. and DC on HBO Max's Peacemaker series, a spinoff of The Suicide Squad centered on John Cena's character -- a super-villain determined to achieve peace, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.
Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad stars a massive ensemble as some of DC's most obscure rogues, along with bigger names like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. It debuts in theaters and on HBO Max Aug. 6.
Source: New York Times