The so-called Snyderverse, the former DC movie universe, is, as we know, a thing of the past. Although the new universe formally began with Creature Commandos in December last year, it was, of course, the summer blockbuster Superman that really kick-started the DCU.
One person who has a good insight into what it's like to shoot superhero productions is Frank Grillo, who, in addition to playing Rick Flag Sr. in both of the aforementioned ventures, also stars in Peacemaker: Season 2 and has appeared in several major Marvel films such as Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame in the role of Brock Rumlow/Crossbones.
When he recently appeared on The Morning After Pod, he took the opportunity to talk about the differences between filming in the DCU and the MCU, which are apparently more numerous and greater than one might think. Regarding working with the Russo brothers on Marvel, he says:
"First of all, you got two brothers directing, right? And so those two brothers kind of create one being. And they have very different styles, and tend to be able to or are more comfortable with... directing on scripts that are not totally complete."
Although he adds that this "is not uncommon," he says that "you have to make adjustments." Working with DC film bosses James Gunn, on the other hand, is a different story altogether with careful planning:
"Obviously, everything was done. All the scripts are done in advance. Yeah. And you don't really need to fudge with it at all. It's... I mean, he's really got a clear concept, but he's the boss."
Grillo also says that another difference is that James Gunn (who shares DC leadership with Peter Safran) is at the top of the food chain, while the Russo brothers have many people above them who want to have a say, where one can imagine that Disney has plenty of opinions:
"So, it's not like James has a committee that he needs to answer to, right? It's him and Peter Saffron, whereas the Russo brothers have a whole bunch of people that, you know, have their hand in the cookie jar."
So far, we only have Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker: Season 2 to go on when it comes to the DCU, but judging by the ratings and viewership numbers, Gunn and Safran seem to have got off to a good start. How do you think it's doing compared to the MCU?