The remarks come after Dwayne Johnson announced 'Black Adam 2' is not moving forward at this time.
James Gunn is addressing the "disrespectful outcry" in wake of the many changes taking place in the DC Extended Universe, most notably that Henry Cavill is not returning as Superman and Black Adam 2 and Wonder Woman 3 are not moving forward.
The famed director and co-chairman and chief executive officer of DC Studios took to Instagram and said he and his DC Studios co-chairman, the British film producer Peter Safran, were aware at the time they took the job as heads of DC Studios that there would be "a certain minority of people online that could be, well, uproarious & unkind, to say the least."
Gunn added that "our choices for the DCU are based upon what we believe is best for the story & best for the DC characters who have been around for nearly 85 years. Perhaps these choices are great, perhaps not, but they are made with sincere hearts & integrity & always with the story in mind."
He continued, "No one loves to be harassed or called names — but, to be frank, we’ve been through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our actions. We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, & we knew we would sometimes have to make difficult & not-so-obvious choices, especially in the wake of the fractious nature of what came before us. But this means little to us in comparison to our jobs as artists & custodians in helping to create a wide & wonderful future for DC."
The statement followed Dwayne Johnson announcing on Tuesday that his Black Adam film will not get a sequel any time soon. The action star said he connected with Gunn and was told "Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling."
Johnson added that "DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters."
Also earlier this month, Patty Jenkins confirmed DC's decision to not move forward with Wonder Woman 3, explaining that it was her understanding "there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time." She added, "DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now."
Then there was Cavill's role as Superman. The 39-year-old actor explained in an Instagram post that he met with Gunn and Safran, who told him about their decision not to recast him in the iconic role.
"I will, after all, not be returning as Superman," Cavill wrote, a decision he said was made after Gunn and Safran were hired on. "After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that."
Gunn would later explain that the changes with Superman include their story "focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life."
Gunn, however, noted that there's still hope for the future and said there are "exciting possibilities" in the pipeline.
"But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future," Gunn added.
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