
More than a decade ago, James Gunn took to Twitter to express his disdain for Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan’s renditions of Batman, stirring up controversy and prompting calls for the DC co-CEO to be fired. The resurfacing of these tweets by XsnyderverseX has generated debate about whether Gunn is the right choice to helm DC.
In his tweets, Gunn castigated Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman film, describing it as poorly written, with an abysmal soundtrack and an overwhelming sense of tedium. Gunn also questioned the decision to involve Prince in the project, asserting that the reveal of the Joker’s role in Thomas and Martha Wayne’s murder diminished Batman’s eternal thirst for vengeance. Gunn further contended that Jack Nicholson’s Joker was merely Jack Torrance in clown makeup and criticized Michael Keaton’s portrayal of Batman, deeming his voice ridiculous and the overall acting subpar compared to the 1960s TV series. Gunn concluded his scathing critique by deeming the film ridiculous and awful, comparing it unfavorably to Burton’s Planet of the Apes. Quite the hot take indeed.
Gunn did not stop at Burton’s Batman, as he also targeted Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. He admitted to having issues with both of Nolan’s films, claiming that neither met the standard of a classic, with Batman Begins in particular failing to impress him. However, Gunn conceded that Nolan’s films still surpassed the first Batman in quality. Gunn remarked that the movie, despite representing the first cinematic dark interpretation of Batman, was horrendous. He even made a snide reference to Batman & Robin.
The resurgence of these tweets is bound to fuel the fire for fans, especially those who ardently support Burton and Nolan, to challenge Gunn to produce a superior Batman film. It also raises questions as to whether Gunn genuinely believes that his forthcoming movie, The Batman, along with its “Elseworld” sequel, fares better than any of the films he vehemently criticized. Do any of Gunn’s statements resonate with you? And should he address these controversial Batman tweets from ten years ago?
Originally published at Calls to fire James Gunn hit web after resurfaced anti-Batman tweets (from a decade ago)