James Gunn has said “we’ll survive” in response to an apparent attempt by Zack Snyder fans to sabotage his new Superman movie with a targeted online campaign.
The director’s highly anticipated reboot of the iconic DC superhero franchise will launch in July. Superman will be the first entry in the newly reimagined franchise, and features a bumper cast that includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Wendell Pierce.
Although trailers for the film have prompted mostly positive reactions, there is a growing backlash from fans of Justice League director Snyder and the previous DC universe, otherwise known as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Snyder directed three films within the DCEU, beginning with the 2013 Superman project Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill.
The particular series of films ended unceremoniously in 2023 after the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom despite many narratives being left unfinished. Cavill was also dropped from playing Superman despite returning as the character in the post-credits scene of 2022’s Black Adam.
Disgruntled Snyder fans have since taken to the “Snyder Cut” subreddit to demand that others “stand up and fight” on the day Superman is released by sharing spoilers, posting negative reviews and reserving cinema tickets in bulk. The most ardent Snyder fans do have a history of bullish campaigning for the director which resulted in the 2021 release of his full cut of Justice League.
The Reddit post was shared on Threads with one person attempting to raise Gunn’s awareness of “this disgusting behaviour”.
The 58-year-old Guardians of the Galaxy director responded to the post and swiftly confirmed that he wasn’t worried in the slightest.
“Lol I think we’ll survive,” he wrote, before adding: “I’m not sure the eight people that listen to that guy (I’m going to go out on a limb and guess it’s a guy) are going to impact the course of events.”
Gunn previously said that he has spoken to Snyder and that the director was “incredibly supportive” of the new DC project.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
In addition, moderators of the subreddit in question have since locked the post and confirmed that it was removed.
“Our staff never approved that post and [do] not endorse what it said. This is a public sub, where posts do not have to be pre-approved,” the moderator wrote.
“The mere appearance of a post on our sub does not represent any endorsement by us. Our moderators delete posts after they are made if they violate any of our policies or Reddit’s policies. There was never any question that this post violated our policies, both explicitly and in spirit, and needed to be immediately removed.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone about the issue with devout Snyder fans, Gunn said: “It’s all right to have an opposing force every once in a while. Some of the things get ridiculous – I just know that every time something comes out, it doesn’t matter how positively received, there’s gonna be something that is of great controversy.”
