Fans of Star Wars are getting excited for the release of DC Comics' newest film! Recent rumors have hinted that the opening scene of Superman will feature introduction text reminiscent of the opening crawl of the Star Wars movies. This information, though not confirmed by director James Gunn, should come as no surprise to his fans. Gunn has been vocal for years about his love for the galaxy far, far away.
The writer and director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe recently made the move over to DC Comics as its new CEO. Through this role, Gunn is establishing a new canon universe, separate from the DC movies that have come before. Superman, as the first film of the rebooted universe, will likely use an opening crawl of text to help fans contextualize the story, just like A New Hope did almost fifty years ago.
This is not the first time Gunn has been inspired by Star Wars in his storytelling. Back when he first began working on Guardians of the Galaxy, he used his love of the franchise to fuel his efforts, imagining the Marvel characters in a space opera of their own. He stated that his motivation was to create a film that "made people feel like Star Wars made [him] feel as a kid."
11 years ago I had a meeting with Marvel Studios about the possibility of doing a Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I remember driving home & thinking I didn't want to make a movie LIKE Star Wars, but a movie that made people FEEL like Star Wars made me feel as a kid. Outlandish… pic.twitter.com/xiCnJOTf7c
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 4, 2023
This trend of honoring the Star Wars franchise continued when Gunn made The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. The Star Wars Holiday Special has become somewhat of a legend among fans due to its poor reception and wacky story. Gunn found the intention behind the special admirable enough to make his own attempt.
I wanted to do the Star Wars Holiday Special but done right (no offense @MarkHamill etc). I LIKED the idea of the music & the mixed media & the off-the-rails nature but not necessarily the way everything was assembled. Also @FelloWyatt will always be young Peter to me. https://t.co/OZErQWsj7Z
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) November 26, 2022
While he has shown his great admiration for Star Wars many times, it may surprise fans to learn that Gunn has no plans to become involved in future Star Wars projects. Because the Guardians movies share so many similarities to Star Wars in scope, setting, and imagination, Gunn has said that he feels no need to enter the Star Wars universe as director or writer.
He already has his hands full as the new leader behind DC, so it seems reasonable that Gunn would be hesitant to involve himself in another major franchise right now. However, his love of Star Wars has followed him in his past projects and may yet continue to do so with Superman. Only time will tell if Gunn ever decides to become a more active part of creating Star Wars content.