James Gunn is defending the DC Universe against criticism that his films aren’t building toward a major crossover event.
Responding to a social media comment, Mr. Gunn said the DCU is an alternate universe that can be entered at any time or place.
The D.C. Studios chief said he dislikes the idea that individual stories only matter if they lead to something else. He said “Star Wars” has worked this way for 50 years, while noting that the “Superman” saga does connect to “Man of Tomorrow” and characters from other stories.
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“I would love people to be seeing ’Clayface’ because it’s a great, fun horror movie unto itself, not because of where else ’Clayface’ will show up three movies from now,” Mr. Gunn said.
“Clayface,” about a disfigured actor who undergoes a radical transformation, debuted Friday with $24 million from 3,458 North American theaters and took the No. 1 spot at the box office.
“Clayface,” has a reported production budget of $40 million, though one report puts the cost around $30 million. “Supergirl,” another DC film released this summer, reported a budget of $170 million to $186 million and grossed $126.4 million worldwide.
Last year’s “Superman” had a $225 million budget and grossed $618.7 million worldwide.
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