Supergirl is COOKED - They Never Learn

[00:00:00]Hey everybody, I'm James Gunn. I'm the co-CEO of James Gunn Studios. So, Peter and I, along with a group of very talented writers, have started to map out an 8 to 10 year plan of what DC Studios will be in film, television, and gaming. The first project is Creature Commandos.

[00:00:15]>> Crap.

[00:00:15]>> The next project up is Waller.

[00:00:17]>> It never happened.

[00:00:18]>> Okay. Next up is a big one, the true beginning of the DCU. This is called Superman Legacy.

[00:00:24]>> Crap.

[00:00:24]>> Okay, the next thing is a big premiere HBO television series called Lanterns.

[00:00:30]>> Whack.

[00:00:31]>> Next is a big movie called The Authority.

[00:00:33]>> It never happened.

[00:00:34]>> We're doing a television series called Paradise Lost.

[00:00:36]>> It's an urban legend that never happened. [music] >> The introduction of the DCU's Batman is The Brave and the Bold.

[00:00:42]>> Not this time. It [music] never happened.

[00:00:44]>> Next up is a TV series called Booster Gold.

[00:00:46]>> Not this time.

[00:00:47]>> One of my favorite comic book series from last year was Tom King's run on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. And so, we're going to turn that into a big science fiction epic film.

[00:00:55]>> So, bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for him.

[00:00:58]>> herogrotesque.com >> Greetings, you over 1 million Helions and the 40% who haven't subscribed yet.

[00:01:04]As we approach what looks to be a grim opening box office weekend for Supergirl, I don't think I'm going out on a limb here by saying that >> James Gunn >> DCU has not gotten off to the best of starts. Let's recap, shall we? James Gunn's first public act as the co-CEO of the newly founded DC Studios was to tell Henry Cavill he's not playing Superman anymore. And it was all downhill from there. What didn't help is after he took over, he had to sit through six flops in a row, which were Black Adam, Shazam!

[00:01:30]Fury of the Gods, The Flash, James Gunn's favorite superhero film, >> A fantastic movie that I really love.

[00:01:35]>> Blue Beetle, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and Joker 2. But after that, it was finally in James Gunn's hands, and he decided to launch the DCU with an animated series that nobody watched, Creature Commandos. And gun with one end to my head, I would say it's the best of the worst. But we already have a problem because that's not where the DCU starts.

[00:01:51]Where does it start, and what is canon?

[00:01:54]Well, I have no idea, neither does James Gunn.

[00:01:56]>> A lot of people are wondering what's canon in the new DC. As far as I can tell, it's the Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. I- Is that true? Like, what can you guys say about that?

[00:02:07]>> Well, it's whatever we mention in anything. So, I can't tell you any Listen.

[00:02:13]>> It could be Creature Commandos or it could be Blue Beetle where the movie doesn't count, but a lot of the characters are going to end up in future DCU projects. It could be Peacemaker season 1 because they reshot the ending to that for Peacemaker season 2, which would connect it to the Suicide Squad, so that could be your starting point.

[00:02:28]I'll let James Gunn explain it.

[00:02:30]>> totally sure, everything that's purely canon is Creature Commandos through Superman, through Lanterns, Supergirl, [music] Peacemaker season 2. The truth is, almost all of Peacemaker is canon [music] with the exception of Justice League 3.

[00:02:44]>> [laughter] >> Peacemaker's pretty easy. Peacemaker season 1 is basically canon outside of the appearance of the Justice League. I think of Suicide Squad and Peacemakers as pretty unreliable memories of what happened in the DCU.

[00:02:57]>> Or James Gunn recently confirmed that a movie about a B-list Batman villain without Batman, Clayface, is chronologically the first story in the DCU. I hope that clears things up because it doesn't for me, but it shouldn't matter because James Gunn says canon doesn't really matter.

[00:03:11]>> You know, one of the weird things to me is >> [laughter] >> is it and none of this is real.

[00:03:18]>> [laughter] >> It may be alarming to people.

[00:03:20]>> Basically, as far as James Gunn is concerned, canon has become way more important than it should be. And his new DC Universe is going to reflect that point of view big time.

[00:03:30]>> And that became apparent big time with what followed Creature Commandos, starting with Superman's James Gunn, a film that would be best described as a gassed-up mid. There was a lot of people out there doing a lot of mental gymnastics trying to make Superman's performance look better than it was, like the Access Media asking, "Is 800 million the new 1 billion?" But the people gassing it up the most were everyone from Warner Brothers, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the sale that was going on behind the scenes since the day Zaslav got there.

[00:03:57]Following the family film Superman's James Gunn, [music] everybody was supposed to gather around the couch and watch an HBO Max series Peacemaker season 2 featuring a bisexual orgy and starring James Gunn's wife having sex with superheroes.

[00:04:09]>> I was looking at the kisses like I'm [ __ ] loving it.

[00:04:12]>> This brings us to Supergirl and its [music] star Milly Alcock who's trying to do her best Rachel Zegler and kill this film in the crib. The backlash started back in March from this Vanity Fair interview where she said, "Simply existing as a woman in that space is something that people comment on. We have become very comfortable having this weird ownership of women's bodies." Now, there she was talking about the House of the Dragon fandom where there was absolutely no backlash, so I don't know what the hell she was talking about, but as far as the actual statement is concerned, it just sounds like a bunch of Hollywood gobbledygook. But she felt the need to respond to the backlash to that statement instead of, I don't know, ignoring it by saying, "I didn't even say men. I said people," Alcock says, "and they got so angry. I was like, 'You're proving my point. You're proving my point.'" Problem is the people who were involved in the backlash were people, not just men. And if she stopped there, she might have had a point.

[00:05:03]Unfortunately, she didn't and proved everybody else's point. Anyway, Milly Alcock started her generational run of imparting wisdom on all of us plebs with this from Variety. "Just go for it. How Supergirl star Milly Alcock learn how to ignore the trolls." Except she didn't because she's literally responding to them and became a punk rock superhero because nothing says punk rock like a Supergirl movie made by a multinational multi-billion dollar corporation that was just bought by another multinational multi-billion dollar corporation for $111 billion. But I'll give them this, they're more punk rock than Green Day.

[00:05:35]So, after not ignoring the trolls and saying that they are proving her point, Alcock even understands, sort of, where these base urges originate. With a world [music] as unstable and terrifying as it is now, hate to break this to you, Milly, and everybody else in the world has always been unstable and terrifying.

[00:05:50]We just know more about it now.

[00:05:52]Governments don't have anyone's best interest at heart. Aside from that being a day that ends in Y, what the hell does this have to do with Supergirl? And people turn to online forums to find that guidance, she says. It just creates an unhealthy relationship with a person who will eventually and inevitably disappoint their fans. I know she thinks she's talking about all you online incels out there, but it almost sounds like she's talking about Holly wood or in particular Supergirl. I guess women know this is just how it's always been, unfortunately, Alcock adds. It's just from a lot of people whose profiles have no photo, who are burner accounts, or someone's name and then data for Christian, which is hilarious to me. But I mean, whose opinion do you really care about? If you're pissing the right kind of people off, you're doing okay. I don't hate to break this to you, Milly.

[00:06:37]There's a lot more riding on this than just your movie, and you can't afford to piss anybody off. But why wouldn't she feel this way when co-CEO of DC Studios Peter Safran called her about the backlash and said she's doing great.

[00:06:49]>> But wait, there's more.

[00:06:51]>> The years and many fans have embraced in Supergirl as a queer icon. What do you think is about Kara that inspires that kind of connection?

[00:07:01]>> I think I've I played a few characters that might have a potential queer storyline. I have many queer friends. So, honestly, I'm kind of honored. I'm honored that >> [laughter] >> that's happening. But um I think because she doesn't live inside the binary of what we think a woman should be, that that is what makes it so special and so exciting and so new. Um and yeah, I kind of thought that as well. I was like, she wouldn't She'd do what she'd want to do in that regard.

[00:07:31]>> For starters, in no way has Supergirl been a queer icon in the entirety of her history or herstory. I sold comic books in San Francisco for 10 years, and the vast majority of the buyers were straight dudes. Second, as far as the binary of what women are supposed to be is concerned, it's a mantra that we've been hearing a lot with the promotion.

[00:07:50]I'm guessing she's talking about messy women being portrayed in cinema cuz we certainly haven't seen that in the last 10 or 20 years. Hell, the last time we saw it in the DCU was with James Gunn's wife playing hardcore. And finally, for this interview anyway, while being completely aware that I'm old, I don't know why but those little microphones just piss me off. They're annoying as hell. They remind me of the little phones from Zoolander. Speaking of annoying, there's more.

[00:08:12]>> Question online about Kara's queerness in the comics, was that something that you explored when you were preparing for the role?

[00:08:19]>> It wasn't, but in honor of Pride Month, as I'm getting all these questions.

[00:08:23]I don't know. I think that what makes this film so beautiful is that it's not centered around a man. It's all centered around love at all.

[00:08:29]If anything.

[00:08:30]>> Yeah.

[00:08:30]>> But we'll see. I don't really I don't really love that.

[00:08:34]I don't I don't I don't know.

[00:08:36]I don't know. She's a great >> [laughter] >> Uh to anyone from the community on this month or any other month, could you maybe mix up your questions a little bit? Just to shake things up. Outside of a couple of alternate universe comic titles, which nobody read, Supergirl is super straight until she ends up in the absolute universe where she will absolutely be a lesbian. But as far as this statement is concerned, >> I don't know. I think that what makes this film so beautiful is that it's not centered around a man. It's all centered around love at all.

[00:09:04]>> It's no longer 1937. Weird. Weird.

[00:09:08]>> While it's not centered around a man, you need a couple of men to sell your movie. We've seen an awful lot of Superman and Lobo in the trailers who aren't in the film very much. It's a sounding a little familiar. That's why I made this prediction back in May. It's just another Hollywood case of they never learn. Now, contrast all of Milly Alcock's statements with her former co-star from House of the Dragon, Matt Smith's.

[00:09:28]>> It's all about the fans. You know, that's why we're here. That's why we go and work in these in frame and see it.

[00:09:34]You know, it's never going to appeal to everyone. Everyone has their own opinion, particularly on George's work.

[00:09:39]But for me personally, it's it's their show, you know, we make it, we do all that work, and then we hand it over, and I hope it delivers on the scale that that that we want it to for them. If it does, if it doesn't, who knows? Only time will tell, but absolutely, it's it's completely about the fans. It's it's it's it's their show.

[00:10:02]>> You see, it's really not that hard. The fact of the matter is, despite all the wisdom we've gotten from Ms. Alcock, if she hadn't said a word, Supergirl would still be cooked. If you recall, at the end of Superman, Supergirl shows up and calls him a [ __ ] >> Thanks for watching him, [ __ ] >> The first Supergirl trailer opens up with Krypto taking a piss on a picture of Superman's face. And then there was the first poster that said, "Truth, justice, and whatever," which might not have been as bad if they weren't afraid to say, "Truth, justice, and the American way" in the first film, which they didn't. And then there's the general attitude and take on Superman, which you not only saw in his own film, but it's going to be carried over into Supergirl.

[00:10:39]>> He sees the good in everyone.

[00:10:42]>> And I see the truth.

[00:10:43]>> I think he's really sweet. I think he's really endearing. And then, I think he's also too stubborn. He's too naive.

[00:10:51]>> And I love the line in the film where she says like he's he's basically a nerd.

[00:10:54]>> He's a nerd. He's a dork.

[00:10:55]>> So, Supergirl's attitude matches James Gunn's attitude towards Superman, which makes neither of them likable. And all that probably has a lot to do with the rather grim box office projections.

[00:11:05]Despite the Supergirl math that's going on out there right now saying that $350 million is all this film needs to break even on a $175 million budget.

[00:11:14]Apparently, somebody's under the impression there are zero marketing costs, and theaters are going to show Supergirl for free. Original domestic opening weekend estimates were between 47 and 65 million, then they went down to 55 million. Now they're down to 51 million, and some are reporting even as low as 39 million.

[00:11:31]>> And the claims of record-breaking pre-sales for tickets weren't exactly true.

[00:11:37]>> All you have to do is go look at those empty seats for all the fan screenings.

[00:11:40]Now, to be fair, the AMC Burbank is sold out, but that's Hollywood's home field.

[00:11:44]There are plenty of seats available, and I don't think you would have a problem getting a ticket the day of the fan screening. My local IMAX still has seats available, and it was completely sold out well in advance of The Flash, something Supergirl's being compared to.

[00:11:57]Contrast that with the Spider-Man brand-new day screenings, which are almost sold out. But not to worry, here to rescue Supergirl are the influencers.

[00:12:05]>> Yes, the very same social media influencers that think everything is amazing until the rest of us see it, and then they hope you forget their take.

[00:12:11]It's gotten so bad that The Hollywood Reporter even had to admit there's a problem. Keeping in mind that social media first reactions to advanced screenings always tend to skew at least slightly more positive than a film's eventual consensus.

[00:12:23]>> And in this case, you always have to consider the influencer like the Mary Sue, big fan of this channel, Supergirl's everything I wanted to be.

[00:12:30]Girls can be messy, and that rules.

[00:12:32]>> They sure can, Rachel. Or Geeks of Color, Supergirl is the best blockbuster of the summer.

[00:12:37]>> Right.

[00:12:38]>> Or That Hollywood Show, Supergirl soars, man. I was worried we wouldn't get a source. But considering how messy Supergirl is supposed to be in the movie, you might get some source. Other reviews are comparing Supergirl to Mad Max, or more specifically, Furiosa, a film that was a complete flop. But the worst comparison of all, as far as the numbers are concerned, is with The Marvels. Like I said, there's a lot more riding on this than just a film.

[00:13:01]>> The future of the DCU is at stake. A DCU whose face isn't Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or even Supergirl.

[00:13:08]>> It's James Gunn, because no one likes James Gunn like James Gunn. The man certainly isn't afraid of press or giving his every thought on Threads. He also put himself on the cover of a Superman comic. They animated him into the intro of Creature Commandos.

[00:13:21]Speaking of which, Rick Flag might even be a self-insert. I report, you decide.

[00:13:26]>> You know, Rick Flag Sr. is an incredibly vain man. I think the guy dyes his hair.

[00:13:31]I think on season 2 of Peacemaker, we got a a dyed beard, and we also have a dyed hair.

[00:13:36]>> The initials from the Justice Gang in Superman just so happens to match his initials, and if Supergirl flops, it's going to be a major blow to the DCU, and more importantly, James Gunn's ego. And the next two projects aren't likely to light a fire under the DCU. The next film is going to be about a B-list Batman movie without Batman, Clayface.

[00:13:54]And the next HBO show was a great opportunity to introduce an interesting DC character, Green Lantern, except they've taken away the green cuz it's stupid.

[00:14:03]>> You just announced a Green Lantern show.

[00:14:06]I like it it's called Lanterns because we all agreed that the green was stupid.

[00:14:14]>> [screaming] >> And instead of it being a cosmic adventure, it's True Detective, where you'll be on HBO. You could just go watch True Detective. Season 1 is brilliant. And the fate of the DCU will be decided in a film where the titular character has been removed from the title of his own sequel, just like The Marvels, Man of Tomorrow. Now, I could be wrong, but I think James Gunn's fate is sealed, and I think it's been proven long ago that he was never the right guy for the job. Trying to make Supergirl Mad Max, trying to make Green Lanterns True Detective. He can't say truth, justice, and the American way. And even after being made the co-head of the newly founded DC Studios, he couldn't crack the character of Superman until he did it through his dog. Oh, and there's that tiny little detail of making Jor-El and Lara evil, wanting their son to conquer the Earth and get himself a harem. I mean, based, but that's not true to the comic characters. But that is true to James Gunn because he doesn't believe in truth, justice, and the American way. He doesn't believe in traditional heroism, and he doesn't believe in Superman. [music] What evidence do I have? His body of work.

[00:15:13]And now that the Paramount Warner Bros.

[00:15:15]deal has been approved by the DOJ, and we're going to get Mount Bros. As far as James Gunn's future at the DCU, hell, let's just call it what it is, the JCU is concerned, well, I'll let him put it in his own words.

[00:15:26]>> Peacemaker season 2 and Lantern's setting up different threads and arcs.

[00:15:30]How far do these arcs go? Like, do they culminate in Man of Tomorrow or can we expect them to go further than that?

[00:15:38]>> If I Yes, they they definitely go significantly further than Man of Tomorrow.

[00:15:43]>> Okay.

[00:15:44]>> So, now now, you know, whether or not that'll be me that's able to fulfill that promise depends on a lot of things in life.

[00:15:53]>> erogurotic.com >> If you like what you heard, please like, share, and subscribe. If you didn't like what you heard, well, I thank you for listening this long. I will see you in the next video.