A new report explains how DC Studios’ James Gunn will be paid for his duties in Superman. The DCU’s first chapter is being overseen by DC Studios head James Gunn, who’s writing Creature Commandos and Peacemaker season 2, apart from writing and directing Superman, the DCU’s first movie. James Gunn is attached to the DCU for the following eight to ten years, as Gunn and Peter Safran’s foundations for the franchise are based on a ten-year plan.

As reported by Puck, industry figures like DC Studios’ James Gunn and Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige have hybrid deals that cover their creative and executive duties. James Gunn, in particular, should be remunerated separately for his writing, directing, and producing roles in Superman, plus his fees as co-CEO of DC Studios. The latter are probably mandatory for each of Gunn’s DCU projects. Neither Gunn nor Warner Bros. have confirmed these details.

“There are hybrid people, like Feige and Gunn, who make movies while also overseeing them as executives. These types will have specific talent fees built into their deals. Gunn, for instance, will earn directing fees, producing fees, and writing fees for his services on this summer’s Superman—and, presumably, all the follow-up films he will work on, while also serving in his capacity as co-C.E.O. of DC. Even if he didn’t want to be paid, the various labor guilds would require at least minimum fees.”

What The DCU Report Means For Superman

James Gunn Is The Primary Mastermind Behind The DCU’s Superman

James Gunn is putting special care into Superman, as it’s the first DCU movie and the first live-action project in the franchise. Superman is also the main basis of every DC universe, and James Gunn understands this. In order to ensure the franchise he’ll oversee for the next decade is set on strong foundations, Gunn took it upon himself to write, direct, and produce Superman, besides acting as DC Studios CEO. All these responsibilities warrant their due monetary remunerations. In the case of James Gunn’s Superman, the director’s four simultaneous roles are unprecedented.

Our Take On The DCU Report

Although Gunn will also oversee every upcoming DCU movie and show, he won’t write and direct most of them. DCU projects such as Swamp Thing and Clayface have their own sets of writers, and James Gunn has also made sure that these movies are helmed by directors who’ll make each project their own. Key installments such as Andy Muschietti’s The Brave and the Bold, which will introduce the DCU’s Batman, will also be fully managed by their own writers and directors — not by the franchise’s CEO.

James Gunn’s approach to the DCU appears to be quite similar to Kevin Feige’s approach to the DCU. The only major difference is that Feige has never written or directed an MCU project himself. Gunn proved his writing expertise prior to the DCU, with credits in The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, plus his previous writing and directing credits in the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies and Special Presentation. After Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2, James Gunn could still return to write and direct another project.

Source: Puck

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  July 11, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  The Batman Part II

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  October 1, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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