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This might seem like an obvious thing, but one thing you need to have before you make a movie is a finished script. It is hard for actors to do much without knowing what you want them to say. However, that isn’t always true in Hollywood today. Movies are often greenlit before the screenplay is done. However, the one rule James Gunn implemented when he took over DC Studios is that nothing gets made without a finished script.

It is such a firm rule for James Gunn that he’s canceled projects at DC Studios because the script wasn’t up to scratch. “We just killed a project,” he explained during a recent interview. “Everybody wanted to make the movie. It was greenlit, ready to go. The screenplay wasn’t ready. And I couldn’t do a movie where the screenplay’s not good.”

That rule isn’t one that he made up out of thin air; it is borne out of James Gunn’s years of experience in Hollywood. “I do believe that the reason why the movie industry is dying is not because of people not wanting to see movies. It’s not because of home screens getting so good. The number-one reason is because people are making movies without a finished screenplay.”

That is not a mistake Gunn’s DC Studios is going to make, even if it means that some movies don’t get made. 
The first movie from DC Studios under James Gunn – finished screenplay and all – is Superman, which flies into cinemas on July 11, 2025.

James Gunn's Superman movie is out now - and we have a lot to say about it. You can also read about Superman's S-Shield through the ages, how Superman and Clark Kent keep their secret identity secret, our recs for best Superman comics, and how to watch all his TV series and movies in order.