Credit: FlickrIs the San Diego Comic-Con finally dying? The popular event has become the de facto place for major franchise announcements, but yet another huge studio has declined to attend in 2023, as DC Studios co-CEO and creative head James Gunn has indicated he won’t be there.
James Gunn recently posted an Instagram picture of himself with the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the concluding film in the trilogy, and his final film with Marvel Studios. Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, and Sean Gunn all look pretty chummy in the picture, but in the comment section, James Gunn revealed that he would not be attending San Diego Comic-Con in 2023 in response to a fan question.
Specifically, James Gunn said, “I won’t be there this year but probably next,” which is pretty non-committal.
Related: James Gunn Calls Superhero Movies “Lazy” and “Boring” as He Takes on DC
James Gunn Is a Comic-Con Staple
In previous years, James Gunn has been a regular at the San Diego Comic-Con Hall H, the common spot for major film announcements from Marvel Studios, DC films, Universal’s Fast & Furious franchise, and many more. That he would not attend this year as DC Studios is restructuring and doing away with the remnants of Zack Snyder’s abandoned DC Extended Universe can be seen as an indication of the waning influence of the event.
Many Studios Are Declining to Attend
While Warner Bros Discovery has not made a formal statement that DC Studios will not have any presence at the San Diego Comic-Con, James Gunn’s statement is a pretty good indicator that DC films are not going to rely on the buzz generated by the event in the past.
It is notable that the co-head (with longtime producing partner Peter Safran) of DC Studios will not be attending Comic-Con, considering that the company’s main rival, Marvel Studios, will not be there either. Ditto for Netflix, Universal Pictures, HBO, and Sony Pictures, so, basically all the major players.
Related: DCU Will Set Itself Apart From MCU, Says James Gunn
Given that the lack of Marvel at Comic-Con could be seen as an opportunity for DC Studios to make itself the dominant force at the event, this really seems like James Gunn does not think attending the event is vital for the company.
Presumably, the director is hard at work on production of the upcoming Superman: Legacy, which will be the first real test of his stewardship over DC Studios. The movie (which recently announced the casting of David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as co-leads) will be the first DC project of Gunn’s without a lingering connection to the DCEU of old, so its success or failure will be all on him. No wonder he’s skipping Comic-Con.