James Gunn is reimagining the DC Universe, and the first installment of the DCU, Superman, has been well-received. Now, Gunn is writing and is expected to direct a follow-up project, reportedly titled Man of Tomorrow. Naturally, speculation is rife about the film’s casting, and one of the major publications, Deadline Hollywood, has caught the ire of the filmmaker for reportedly spreading misinformation.
Gunn is disappointed with Deadline over “incorrect” reporting
The controversy revolves around the casting buzz surrounding who will play the role of Maxima in Gunn’s upcoming film. The character is a warrior-type alien queen with superpowers, often portrayed as a romantic interest or adversary to Superman. The Deadline report claimed via industry insiders that DC had started screen-testing for the role, with Marisa Abela, Ella Purnell, and Adria Arjona being considered.
However, the man behind DC’s reboot has lambasted the publication for its “shoddy and incorrect” reporting, claiming that the rumors were false. Taking to the text-based social media app Threads, Gunn wrote, “Deadline’s reporting is shoddy and incorrect. I’ve always thought Deadline was pretty thorough in their journalism, but that’s not the case here, so I’m frankly disappointed.”
He further stated that if the outlet had verified the names of the actors with the production team, they would have discovered that the claims were unfounded.
“If someone would have run these names by us, we would have said it’s b——-,” he further wrote, adding, “I’ve been friends with Adria a long time since I cast her in the Belko Experiment. I’m a fan of both Marisa and Ella, but I’ve never met either of them. Crazy.”
Not only that, but Deadline also updated the casting report with new names added, such as Grace Van Patten, Sydney Chandler, and Eva De Dominici. DC’s new strategy under Gunn appears to show less tolerance for unverified casting rumors, as publicly challenging a major media outlet is rare in Hollywood.
Now, whether Maxima is entering the DCU is still unclear, but one can infer from recent developments that the filmmaker wants tight narrative control over DC-related leaks.
What do you think about Gunn slamming Deadline publicly? Let us know in the comments section below.
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