James Gunn claims he doesn't "care about prestige" as he says his goal is to "affect people in a deeper, more spiritual way"

While Hollywood gears up for this year's awards season, James Gunn recently said he's not too worried about "prestige", as he likes "making pop cinema". The DC boss, who is now working on the Superman sequel Superman: Man of Tomorrow, argued that his focus has always been on creating stories that are "emotionally resonant to people".

"I don't care about prestige," Gunn told Variety. "I mean, sure, would it be cool to be nominated for Best Director or something? Yeah, would I rather have that than not? But it's not really my concern.

"Occasionally I have ideas that are more independent movies," he continued, "but I like making the kind of movies that I make, and I like making pop cinema, for lack of a better term. If I can have those things also be something that are emotionally resonant to people, or affect people in a deeper, more spiritual way, like a lot of people have told me that Superman did, a lot of people have told me that Guardians 3 did, then that's fantastic.

"That's what I would love to be able to do. But I like making the big movies too. There's an artistry to it, the creative flow. But then I also like the part of it that's putting the big puzzle together and creating this machine that works for an audience to elicit a reaction from them, whether it's emotional, whether it's laughter, whether it's screaming, whether it's whatever it is. That's the fun part of it," Gunn concluded.

In the same interview, Gunn said Superman was the "hardest" movie he's ever made. "I was reorienting something everyone already thinks they understand. Strangely, it's the most comic book-driven thing I've ever done. More than any of my other superhero films," he explained.

Superman, which was crowned GamesRadar+'s movie of the year for 2025, saw David Corenswet taking the mantle as the Man of Steel, while Nicholas Hoult played Lex Luthor. Both of them are set to return for the sequel, which releases in theaters on July 9, 2027.

Before that, though, we'll get to see Milly Alcock in Supergirl, set to be released on June 26. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the upcoming DC movies and shows on the way.