Tuesday, July 14, 2020

JAMES GUNN Compares Movie CROSSOVER Potential for “SCOOBY-DOO,” between “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY” or “SUICIDE SQUAD”


Filmmaker James Gunn is easily one of the most sought-after directors in the movie industry today, especially for primarily out-there projects. He delivered the two “Guardians of the Galaxy” films for Marvel Studios’ MCU franchise, and when removed from the third installment’s development due to controversy from old social media posts, he was then tapped by Warner Brothers to helm a new “Suicide Squad” separate from the 2016 DCEU picture. That got him hired back by Marvel’s parent company Disney. And back in the 2000s he wrote the stories of the live-action “Scooby-Doo” films. Gunn has come a long way.

The above film credits probably make James Gunn an authority with the aforementioned franchises’ cinematic treatment to determine whether or not a crossover plot would be feasible. That at least is how Comic Book Resources sees it following a series of social media posts by the director this Monday, July 13. A fan posted on Twitter asking the possibility of crossing “Scooby-Doo” and “Guardians of the Galaxy,” particularly the former’s titular “cowardly hero” dog and the latter’s “alien raccoon” Rocket. Gunn replied that such a crossover was unlikely, but Scooby and the gang crossing over with “Suicide Squad” might work.

It is understandable why Gunn shook his head on crossing “Scooby-Doo” and Marvel’s “Guardians.” The former is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon creation, now part of the media library of Warner Bros., while Marvel is a Disney subsidiary. That too explains a higher probability of Scooby rubbing elbows with the Suicide Squad, a DC Comics title and thus under Warner. That would seem strange considering the Squad, aka Task Force X, is composed of mostly imprisoned DC super-villains agreeing to work for the US government as disposable wet-works operatives for decreased sentences. But considering Gunn’s plans for the live-action 2002 “Scooby-Doo” movie, perhaps it might have clicked.
James Gunn revealed quite recently that his original treatment of the film plot pushed it to the “R” rating, only to be pushed by WB executives to cut things back to “PG.” It should be recalled that the antagonist of that movie was Scooby-Doo’s nephew Scrappy-Doo, a character considered annoying by older franchise fans but well-liked by children. The director in fact expressed shock at criticism by younger audiences for what he did, but also noted that the bad reaction helped shaped his decisions on how to characterize the titular “Guardians of the Galaxy” in their MCU film in 2014.

The 2016 “Suicide Squad” film was directed by David Ayer and starred Margot Robbie, Viola Davis and Will Smith among an ensemble cast. For the same-titled movie directed by Gunn, Robbie and Davis return alongside Taika Waititi, Idris Elba, and John Cena, looking forward to a 2021 release from Warner. A 3D-animated Scooby-Doo movie, “Scoob!,” was released digitally last May when its cinematic premiere was foiled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image courtesy of MSN

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