James Gunn Has Kevin Feige’s Full Support For His New DC Job: “I’ll Be First In Line”

Earlier this week, Warner Bros. Discovery made waves by making James Gunn and producer Peter Safran the heads of DC Studios. Gunn running the DCEU brings up a load of questions. Does this renew the DC-Marvel rivalry, which has long been lopsided in Marvel’s favor? Will Gunn’s presence give DC movies an upturn in quality, ala last year’s “The Suicide Squad“? And what does Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige think about Gunn becoming DC’s frontman?

READ MORE: James Gunn Has A Secret DC Film In The Works & WB Wants A ‘Man of Steel 2’

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Feige couldn’t be happier for Gunn’s new position with DC. At the world premiere of “Black Panter: Wakanda Forever,” last year, Feige wished Gunn well in his new job. “I speak to James almost every day,” said Feige. “We have a wonderful thing called the “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” coming out. We have a wonderful thing called “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” coming out in May. How he’ll have any time to work on DC until May I don’t know, but once he does have the time I’ll be very excited. I’ll be first in line.”

Gunn had a career breakthrough under Feige with 2014’s “Guardians Of The Galaxy.” Before entering the MCU, Gunn was best known for his screenwriting work on movies like 2002’s “Scooby-Doo” and Zack Snyder‘s 2004 “Dawn Of The Dead” remake. He also directed the 2006 indie horror “Slither” and 2010’s black comedy “Super.” 2014’s “Galaxy” and its 2017 sequel launched Gunn into directing superstardom until Disney fired him from “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” over controversial tweets from long ago. Gunn eventually returned to Marvel direct the upcoming film, but not before he made “The Suicide Squad” for DC in the interim.  

And now Gunn returns to DC to basically be their version of Kevin Feige. Does this mean Gunn and Feige will become rivals of sorts? That’s unlikely, as both men have long insisted that there’s no competition between Marvel Studios and DC Films. Gunn even hosted Feige on “The Suicide Squad” set when that film was in production. But if Gunn and Safran manage to steady DC’s cinematic output under their watch, don’t be surprised to see that narrative shift.  

“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3” is set for a May 5, 2023 theatrical release, while “The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special” hits Disney+ on November 25. As for “Wakanda Forever,” that also hits theaters next month on November 11.