Summary
James Gunn responded to criticism over casting his brother, Sean Gunn, as Maxwell Lord in theDCU. The choice was controversial partly due to allegations of nepotism but also because Sean Gunn had already joined the franchise.
Shortly after Sean Gunn was cast as Maxwell Lord in the newDCU, some fans criticized Gunn, saying he broke his promise of having one actor play only one character in the DCU. Yet,The Suicide Squaddirector clarified that his comments were taken in the wrong sense.
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When responding to accusations on Instagram (viaScreen Rant) about breaking a DCU casting promise,Gunnmentioned that he did say actors would mostly play one character on screen. However, he clarified that this rule doesn’t apply to voice actors. In a now-deleted exchange on Instagram, Gunn wrote, “I said, very clearly, actors will generally only be playing one character on screen, and said, in the same response, that for voice actors it’s not the same.” The filmmaker also criticized trolls for attempting to make him look bad in front of the entire fandom. He added, “Sean, Alan Tudyk, Maria Bakalova, Steve Agee, etc, all play multipleroles inCreature Commandos. That doesn’t mean they won’t play different characters onscreen. So, what’s the need you have (and a handful of others) to [so] desperately need to believe I’m lying that you seem to purposefully ignore certain parts of what I said?”
As Maxwell Lord, Sean Gunn stepped into the role previously played byThe Mandalorianstar Pedro Pascal, who portrayed the character inWonder Woman 1984. Before being cast as Maxwell Lord, Sean Gunn played the CGI character Weasel inThe Suicide Squadand made a brief cameo as Calendar Man in the same movie. As James Gunn said, he already said actors who provide voice roles may be cast as different live-action characters, so he doesn’t seem to welcome criticism about his brother taking on additional roles in the shared universe.
This is another instance of Gunn using social media to talk directly to the public. Gunn doesn’t let trolls take advantage of the situation, and he often debunks rumors before they start spreading like wildfire. Yet, the expanding DCU cast list has sparked debates due to Gunn frequently hiring actors he’s collaborated with before. Nathan Fillion is another actor joining the new DCU. The star will portray the newGreen Lantern inSuperman: Legacy.
However, Gunn is not the only filmmaker to work with the same set of actors in his projects. Over the years, fans have seen directors like Martin Scorsese working with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in back-to-back projects. If Gunn is sure about Sean nailing aDCUcharacter, fans shouldn’t be concerned because Sean has proven his versatility with his roles intheGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise.
DC
DC is a brand of superhero comics, television shows, movies, video games, merchandise, and more. The company owns the rights to popular characters like Batman, The Suicide Squad, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and many more.
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