“It’s a difficult industry”: Not James Gunn, Another DC Director Slyly Comments on Cancel Culture Destroying Filmmaking Business
After James Gunn, David Ayer now becomes loud and clear about cancel culture. James Gunn has always been pretty vocal about his opinion on cancel culture. It is no surprise that he would be against cancel culture since he has faced the burnt end of it.
In March 2018, quite a lot of tweets from earlier times resurfaced, and they were centered around the director’s views on pedophilia and r*pe. 2018 saw the height of the #metoo movement, and therefore Disney swiftly moved to remove James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, saying that Gunn’s tweets were unacceptable and did not go with Disney’s family-friendly image.
However, after widespread support, James Gunn was reinstated in 2019 and apologized for his tweets. But it can be safely assumed that he does not harbor a friendly attitude towards cancel culture.
But now another DC director has come forward with sly comments on cancel culture, and it is none other than director David Ayer.
Also Read: DC: James Gunn From ‘The Guardians Of The Galaxy’ To Direct Another Superhero Movie?
After James Gunn, David Ayer becomes vocal about cancel culture
In a recent tweet, David Ayer stated that he misses the old industry. He also says how he misses the old times when movies were just a medium of escape and entertainment, slyly hinting at the cancel culture. He feels like these days every single word out of a filmmaker’s mouth is:
“litigated, debated and ultimately condemned.”
https://twitter.com/DavidAyerMovies/status/1727010675476877508
Many fans in the comments actually supported Ayer, with many saying that the unadulterated joy of filmmaking is “quickly leaving the building” and that it is now replaced with scrutiny and criticism of the smallest aspect.
How do we get back to old school filmmaking?
— Leo🇺🇸 (@SirLeoX) November 21, 2023
Agree with you 💯. The joy is quickly leaving the building. In its place is the morbidity of the soul.
— Domenico Salvaggio 🍥 (@DomSalvaggio) November 21, 2023
Yes. NOW movies are mostly, PRODUCTS tailored to the need of less and less demanding masses and politically correct to not hurt anyone, and to match the ridiculous standards. Good that we still have restorations in 4K of older classics and we can enjoy them in our home cinemas
— DREAM CARVER STUDIO Michał Karcz (@michalkarcz_art) November 21, 2023
I miss those days as well….guess that's why we say often….."Miss the good ol' days"
— Kev-O Gamertag-L0ngL1veTheB4t (@DARKdcKNIGHT) November 22, 2023
I know you've had to deal with a lot over the years, but you have given us fun films and films with great weight to them, such as Training Day, Fury, End of Watch. You have created some of the best films of the century. The industry isn't what it should be, but you make it better
— Hawk D Hawk (@TheHawkAbridged) November 22, 2023
After James Gunn’s continuous alleged vendetta against cancel culture, this is the first time another DC director has hinted at cancel culture being injurious to the film industry.
David Ayer and his ongoing tension with the Hollywood industry
In Jon Bernthal’s Real Ones podcast, David Ayer opened up in August 2023 that he has “nothing to show” for writing 2001’s The Fast and the Furious movie. He goes into more detail, saying:
“It’s like people hijack narratives, control narratives, create narratives to empower themselves, right? And because I was always an outsider and because, like, I don’t go to the fucking parties. I don’t go to the meals, I don’t do any of that stuff. The people that did were able to control and manage narratives because they’re socialized in that part of the problem. I was never socialized in that part of the problem so I was always like the dark, creative dude, beware.”
He has also been very vocal about his issues with 2016’s The Suicide Squad, which he termed the biggest heartbreak of his entire career in the same podcast. Warner Brothers, at that time, were experimenting a lot, and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad got the heat of it as they commissioned multiple directors to work on the movie, resulting in multiple cuts that made it a hotchpotch compared to what it set out to be earlier, according to Ayer.
After James Gunn came out with his own Suicide Squad, David Ayer praised him in a tweet, calling him “miracles of miracles.”
My turn… https://t.co/E5uumAwvdp pic.twitter.com/ckr9kzeGFD
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) July 29, 2021
However, he also slammed the studio and the barrage of criticism because he never got to tell his side of the story or the Ayer’s Cut he requested from Warner Brothers.
James Gunn is working on his upcoming project Superman: Legacy, and David Ayer’s action thriller The Beekeeper is slated to come out in 2024.