James Gunn won't let just anyone make a DC movie, unless the script they come to him with is "a masterpiece".
Ahead of the release of DCU opener Superman, the filmmaker revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he was once pitched a DC Elseworlds "tale" by a "very, very, very famous movie actor" – and that he candidly told the star that it'd "depend on how the screenplay comes out" as to whether he and co-CEO Peter Safran would greenlight it.
"There's definitely room for people to tell other stories...And when it's somebody who's important, like Matt Reeves — who I've had an admiration for a long time as one of the very, very few filmmakers who is out there making spectacle, commercial [fare], that is also an artist — then you have to stand up and listen," Gunn explained. "The script still needs to be good. We're not going to make it unless we like the script. But I think that there are exceptions.
"I told it to one person who came in and pitched something that was an Elseworlds tale. It was a very, very, very famous movie actor. I said, 'It depends on how the screenplay comes out...If it's a masterpiece, I'll make it, but it has to be a masterpiece.' And he is like, "I don't know if it's a masterpiece." He got all funny. He's still working on it, though. He is still trying to do it, so we'll see. Masterpiece might be pushing it, but it's got to be really great."
Naturally, DC fans took to Twitter mere minutes after the interview's publication to start speculating on who the mystery actor might be. Many proposed that it could have been John Wick star Keanu Reeves, perhaps with the idea that his version of John Constantine could get involved with the likes of Batman, Superman, and co.
Some seem convinced it's Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, looking to find a way to reprise his role as Black Adam. Other names thrown out include Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, and... LeBron James, since the basketball player-turned-Space Jam actor has publicly expressed interest in appearing in more movies.
Check out some more guesses below...
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https://t.co/7xXRmTETJw pic.twitter.com/eMAxzRQtMzJune 19, 2025
it's almost certainly ryan reynolds but i'm trying to think of the funniest options of who it Could be and i have 31. vin diesel2. tom cruise3. dwayne johnson https://t.co/bpIzRTW6AsJune 19, 2025
A few pointed to the fact that Sinners' Michael B. Jordan announced back in 2021 that he was developing a Black Superman series about Val-Zod for HBO Max. While he's yet to pen his own script, Jordan is no stranger to working behind the camera, having made his directorial debut with Creed 3 in 2023. He is also set to kick off principal photography on his next picture, a reboot of The Thomas Crown Affair, this summer.
For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows for everything else the DCU has in store.
