James Gunn Doesn’t Feel Bad for Changing His Mind About Projects: ‘I’ve Never Once Lied to the Fans’

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Christian Zilko
·2 min read

As the first slate of DC Studios content produced under new co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran begins to take shape, Gunn continues to use his Twitter account to interact with fans and offer a real-time look at the decision-making process.

After a new report suggested that on-again-off-again Batman actor Ben Affleck was in the running to direct “The Brave and the Bold” for DC, a fan took to Twitter to accuse Gunn of lying to fans. The user cited a previous quote from Gunn where he claimed that while he was interested in working with Affleck, the “Argo” director was not currently involved with his new Batman origin story.

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Those two things could both theoretically be true — Affleck could have entered talks to direct “The Brave and the Bold” after Gunn made those comments — but the fan held it up as an example of Gunn’s alleged dishonesty. Gunn soon replied to the accusation, and while he didn’t confirm or deny Affleck’s involvement in the upcoming Batman film, he vehemently denied the lying charge.

“For years it’s been my commitment to the fans that I will never lie to them… and I never have,” Gunn wrote. “I’d be very curious about what it is you think I’ve lied about.”

When a Twitter user responded by claiming that Gunn had previously said he was not interested in making a Superman movie or running DC Studios — two things he’s now doing — the filmmaker dismissed it as a mischaracterization of his past positions. He went on to say that he was never opposed to either job; he just didn’t like the circumstances under which he was offered them. Therefore, he doesn’t see it as dishonest that he accepted more appealing versions of those jobs when they were offered to him again.

“Neither of those were lies,” he wrote. “I was offered ‘Superman’ but did ‘Squad’ instead. A few years later I saw how to tackle Superman & took it on. I didn’t want to be the sole CEO of DC, but when they came & offered it to me AND Peter I said yes because I could focus on the creative side.”

Gunn concluded his Twitter thread by reminding fans that his highly transparent approach to running DC means that they’ll probably see him change his mind in real time again — but that doesn’t mean he’s lying.

“Again, I’ve never once lied to the fans, and never will,” he wrote. “That doesn’t mean I’m never going to change my mind about anything.”

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