Here's Why People are Mad About One Aspect of James Gunn's New DC Universe

James Gunn unveiled his plans for the new DC Universe last week. With its first phase titled "Gods and Monsters," it seems already Gunn has some lofty plans for the comic book adaptations. Already, he's given us plenty to be excited about, but there is one lingering thing on people's minds when it comes to a particular idea from the Guardians of the Galaxy director.

Gunn did state that he wanted there to be a harmonious process when creating DC movies, shows, and games from now on, with one actor playing their role in each medium. While this might sound exciting on paper, many have critiqued the idea since it was unveiled, especially from the gaming community.

So, why aren't people fond of the idea? Surely, bringing a respected Hollywood actor into a role for a video game would be cool, right? Especially if you can see them both on the big screen and then play as them at home. However, there are problems with this concept, and when you take more than a glance at it, you may find it's not as cool as it sounds. A lot of these criticisms do specifically concern an actor playing the same role in film or television and then also performing in a video game, as there doesn't seem to be as big an issue with a movie star also playing the same role in front of a camera again, but just for a TV show instead of a film.

The first major issue people are taking with the idea of actors playing the same role in movies, shows, and games, is that it can mean some people are left out of jobs. As we've found out recently with the whole Bayonetta 3 Helena Taylor debacle, and from multiple reports of anime voice actors as well, voice performances are still not given the respect they deserve. Despite many having stand-out performances, especially in the superhero genre like Tara Strong's Harley Quinn, Yuri Lowenthal's Spider-Man, and Mark Hamill's Joker just to name a few.

It seems James Gunn is rather dismissive of the talent voice actors bring to their performances in video games from his declaration that actors will be playing the same role in all mediums from now on. This isn't to say that a Hollywood actor couldn't bring that same level of passion and skill to a video game performance, but if you're Robert Pattinson, for example, are you going to care more about voicing your character in a game you're never going to play, or are you going to put your all into the physical performance of the movie and potential TV shows.

Actors playing the same role throughout films, movies, and video games not only puts some jobs at risk, but it also means that audiences could be left at the mercy of the actors behind the characters, who could simply decide they're going to phone it in for a video game. We've seen it before with big names, need I remind you of Peter Dinklage's performance in Destiny?

These are some of the reasons why people are not overly hyped about the idea of James Gunn bringing in actors to perform the same role throughout movies, TV shows, and games. Of course, this concept could turn out really well, but it does seem to dismiss the great superhero performances that have come before. As with the rest of the new DCU, it seems we'll have to wait and see what happens. Out of all the ideas Gunn has shown off, though, it seems this is the most controversial, especially among gaming performers and developers, who feel as though the talent of voice acting is being slightly ignored.