DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn appears to have survived the first round of leadership changes surrounding Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros., but some members of his own audience aren’t happy about how quickly he embraced the company’s new owner.
Gunn shared David Ellison’s Skydance announcement video on Threads shortly after the incoming Warner Bros. owner unveiled the branding for the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. company.
“What once was the peak, is now just the beginning,” Gunn wrote.
That’s the same slogan Ellison used while unveiling the new Skydance, which will sit atop Paramount and Warner Bros. following completion of the merger.
The reaction beneath Gunn’s post, however, wasn’t exactly celebratory.
Gunn’s Own Audience Pushes Back
After sharing the video, several negative reactions sprang up in the comment section from Gunn’s followers.
“Did Ellison hold you hostage just for you to post this,” one person asked.
“I feel icky watching this,” another responded.
Superman grimacing by a Stagg Industries sign in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman – YouTube, DC
Another compared the post to Gunn’s promotion of The Flash, writing, “Oh, this is such a bummer to see you post. This feels like the time you told people that The Flash was amazing.”
One particularly concerned follower wrote, “Paramount is going to make you turn Superman into Homelander.”
The backlash comes after months of vocal opposition to the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger from portions of Hollywood, including actors such as Mark Ruffalo.
Gunn, however, now finds himself in a very different position.
James Gunn Reportedly Gets Good News From Ellison
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Gunn and DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran met personally with Ellison on Thursday.
The meeting reportedly went well, with Gunn and Safran expected to remain in charge of DC Studios and one source claiming they were effectively told to “keep doing what you’re doing.”
David Ellison talks to Bloomberg – YouTube, Bloomberg Podcasts
That stands in stark contrast to Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group executives Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who are reportedly departing as Ellison reshapes the studio’s leadership.
The sequence is therefore difficult to ignore.
Gunn meets with the incoming owner, receives encouraging news about his future, and shortly afterward promotes Ellison’s announcement of the new company.
There’s no evidence that Gunn’s post was anything more than an executive publicly supporting the incoming ownership of his company. But the reaction demonstrates that some of his audience clearly isn’t interested in joining the celebration.
The Danger of Courting an Ideological Audience
There’s also a larger cultural component to the reaction.
Gunn has spent years publicly aligning himself with progressive political and cultural causes, helping cultivate an online audience in which political signaling can carry considerable weight.
The problem with courting an audience invested in ideological virtue signaling is that their expectations don’t necessarily disappear when they become inconvenient.
James Gunn and David Corenswet sit for an interview about Superman – YouTube, Fandango
Gunn didn’t announce that he had changed his politics. He didn’t endorse President Trump or suddenly repudiate progressive causes.
He shared a promotional video from the man who is about to own the company he works for.
For some followers, even that was apparently too much.
When entertainers teach audiences that political and cultural alignment should matter, they shouldn’t be surprised when portions of that audience begin demanding continued ideological conformity in return.
Gunn Remains at DC Studios — For Now
Gunn and Safran nevertheless appear to be entering the Skydance era from a considerably stronger position than some other Warner Bros. executives.
Current reporting indicates Ellison intends to retain the pair and allow their existing DC plans to continue. That includes Gunn’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow, making an immediate departure particularly unlikely.
Still, Warner Bros. executives have already learned how quickly assurances can change during a corporate takeover.
Superman beaten down in the trailer for James Gunn’s Superman – YouTube, DC
For now, Gunn has apparently welcomed his new boss, his new boss appears happy with Gunn, and DC Studios continues moving forward.
Some of Gunn’s own fans, however, seem considerably less enthusiastic about the beginning of the Skydance era.
How do you feel about James Gunn endorsing Skydance? Sound off and let us know!
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