James Gunn confirms Superman: Legacy was written before the big DCU change. Plus we have some Barside Buzz around poor Aquaman 2 test screenings to cover as well. However we will start with Superman: Legacy, recently announced as one of the first new DCU movies. There were rumors at the time and now writer James Gunn has confirmed he was hired to write the script before being offered one of the key executive roles at DC Studios.

It was. I was hired to write Superman Legacy over six months ago.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 19, 2023

There are of course some fans who are convinced they’ve caught Gunn out over the Henry Cavill situation. ‘Ha ha, this must mean you knew Cavill was gone even before he announced he was back and thus you killed my cat.’ No, it does not mean this at all. When Gunn was hired to write a Superman movie, he was likely not privy to what decisions were being made regarding the role of Superman. Alternatively he was perhaps asked to write a script as if he had no limitations and just see where it landed. After all script writer’s don’t make decisions. I’m sure at this point had the regime not changed, previous execs could have then pushed Cavill into that slot.

Who knows? However what we do know, is that when James Gunn and Peter Safran took over they both made the decision to cast new actors in the role of Batman and Superman. That meant no place for Cavill, or Ben Affleck. The rest of the casting remains to be seen. However, Gunn explained there would be some announcements this year on social media this weekend.

Aquaman 2 Test Screenings Barside Buzz

Many of the usual insiders had claimed that test screenings were planned and went ahead this past weekend for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. So far only one insider has come back with any news from those screenings. Vieweranon took to a Reddit thread to say what they’ve heard and it does not sound good thus far.

“I’ll be honest, we’re half a dozen test screenings in and it’s not looking great. I’ve consistently heard over the last half year or so that it’s boring, not as good as the first, and potentially one of the worst DCEU movies.”

Ouch, if true that sucks, and perhaps is indicative of why Safran and Gunn were hired in the first place?

The first Aquaman movie was nothing special, but okay as far as popcorn entertainment went. A sequel always needed to reach higher and deliver more. For now it sounds like the opposite is true. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of director James Wan. Fast and Furious movies are not exactly what I call a quality benchmark. Aquaman looked nice, but story wise felt very soulless and paint by numbers.

Always remember that test screenings are not the final product. Even Marvel recently just changed the ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania very late in the day after test screenings. However, if this feedback has been consistent for a while, it doesn’t sound good. At least not for a movie I was less than enthused by to begin with.

What do you think of the news Superman: Legacy was written before the big DCU change. What about the Barside Buzz around poor Aquaman 2 test screenings? As always, leave any thoughts below.

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