James Gunn Says Meaningless Cameos Are Ruining Superhero Films
James Gunn is defending his cast for Superman: Legacy while trashing the overuse of cameos in superhero films. As more cast members for his Superman reboot have been announced, fans expressed concerns about the film over the growing number of characters. The DC Studios co-chief recently took to Threads to explain that he is building a whole universe and not just having random characters appear for the sake of meaningless appearances. “The whole point was it’s NOT a large film — I mean, not in terms of cast,” he wrote. One user praised Gunn for his explanation, writing: “Finally someone who treats characters more than just *having character appear on screen for 10 seconds to mark a checkbox*.”
Examples
Continuing the conversation, the Guardians of the Galaxy director called that checkbox “Cameo Porn,” adding that it has been “one of the worst elements of recent superhero films. If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.” With his statement, Gunn seemingly calls out The Flash (cameos by Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Nicolas Cage, Temuera Morrison, George Clooney, Jason Momoa), Shazam: Fury of the Gods (Gal Gadot, Gunn’s wife Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Mark Strong), and The Marvels (Tessa Thompson, Hailee Steinfeld, Lashana Lynch, Kelsey Grammer).
One person pointed out how some fans enjoy seeing the “interactions that happen offscreen between characters” done with a good cameo. They can “validate the idea that relationships have been deepened and they know each other better,” they add. Gunn agreed as long as it doesn’t disrupt the story, adding, “It’s the plot contrivances that develop from a cameo, not the cameo itself.”
Exceptions
Gunn further clarified that he isn’t against cameos if it’s a “glimpse,” a “moment,” or an “Easter egg.” What bothers him is when an elegant story gets mangled by “shoehorning characters in – they aren’t there because the story calls for it, but for some other reason.”
Post by @jamesgunnView on Threads
New DC Studios bosses Gunn and Peter Safran have set out to reboot the DC Universe under their creative vision, beginning with Gunn’s Superman: Legacy. So far, it has been revealed that David Corenswet will play Superman, Rachel Brosnahan will portray Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult will take on Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo has been cast as Jimmy Olsen, and Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher. Earlier this week, Gunn also shared on Threads that he recently had dinner with Hoult on how they will create a Lex that “will be different from anything you’ve seen before and will never forget.”
Superman: Legacy is expected to arrive in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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