James Gunn’s Salary as DCU’s Co-CEO: Does DC Pay James Gunn More than MCU Ever Did?
Everyone was taken aback by the DC Studios’ unexpected announcement in October 2022 that director James Gunn, known for helming Guardians of the Galaxy for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, would be taking over as the new co-CEO of DC Films alongside veteran executive Peter Safran.
According to reports, the two of them will continue to develop, produce, and direct their projects for the DC Studios under the direction of David Zaslav, president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 served as Gunn’s final contribution to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But curiosity among fans grew about how much Gunn is being paid by DC Studios that Marvel couldn’t pay. Let’s find out.
James Gunn explains working in both MCU and DC
The announcement of James Gunn taking over as the co-CEO of DC Studios was shocking for everyone, but the director had proved his worth for the position with his work in the MCU. He also explained during one of the interviews that he understands how it looks from the outside but the job is the same.
Gunn said, “I understand how it appears, but I’m just busy because I’m working two jobs at one time. But it’s not odd. People have this weird belief that Marvel and DC hate each other or somehow are polar opposites. But it’s just not the truth. I mean, listen, man, our job is the same. We want to get people into the theaters to see movies. That’s what matters. And I think that we work together to do that. And the more good Marvel movies are, the better it is for DC movies. The more good DC movies, the better it is for Marvel movies.”
The director had revealed that the first person he made the call after he was offered the position of co-CEO at DC was Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. He added, “Contrary to popular belief, a dollar less for Marvel is not a dollar more for DC. DC and Marvel have the common goal of keeping the theater-going experience vibrant and alive!”
James Gunn, after being fired from Disney due to his past controversial tweets, was hired by DCEU to write the script for Suicide Squad 2. The director was, however, hired back by Disney and he completed his final job at the MCU. A year later, Gunn also directed the Suicide Squad spin-off Peacemaker, which stars WWE wrestler John Cena.
James Gunn on working differently from Marvel President Kevin Feige
During an interview, Gunn was asked about his approach to developing the DC Universe and how it would be different from his previous studio’s president, Feige, to which he said
“It’s actually a little different. I mean, number one, DC Studios, is a studio, so it’s a little bit different. Peter Safran [co-CEO of DC Studios] does a lot of what Kevin Feige does. A lot of what I do is I just work on the creative side of things. So mapping out the stories and the creative side of the universe is my job much more so than some of the more administrative, executive-type stuff. And Kevin has to do both.”
Gunn and Safran are preparing for the first phase of DCU by developing new stories about the DC characters that are different from what the studios had been putting out for a while now. Not everyone seems to be on board with their vision as they axed a couple of projects that fans were excited about, but they are being given a fair chance to showcase to the fans a different side of the DC Universe.
What is James Gunn’s net worth now?
Following Gunn’s appointment as the co-CEO of DC Studios, his net worth is estimated at around $50 million according to Celebrity Net Worth with the possibility of it growing with time since he has plans to alter the DC Universe.
It is hard to say if he is being paid more or less than MCU as the co-CEO of DC Studios in terms of numbers, but it can be rightly said that the director has a more creative approach and freedom to develop stories that he’d like to within the characters of DC. He had mentioned that he is hiring great writers and directors to make the franchise movie interesting because he does not want to put out stuff that is old and something that people have already seen before.
The director shared that the DCU has a bit more of a fantasy element with larger-than-life superheroes. He is excited for the fans to see what he and Safran had envisioned for the DC Universe.
Gunn’s DCU is set to kick off on July 11, 2025, with the release of Superman: Legacy.
Source: We Got This Covered
