Superman racked up several glowing reviews and was a box-office hit. That’s usually a formula that keeps interest going when awards season rolls around, though summer blockbusters tend to only rack up nominations in categories like special effects and costumes.
However, there have been exceptions: Marvel scored a historic win for superhero movies (even though it didn’t score the actual award) when Black Panther got a Best Picture nomination. A year later, Joker also notched several big nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, as well as Best Actor for eventual winner Joaquin Phoenix. But James Gunn, director of Superman and the co-head of DC Studios, doesn’t have Oscar fever as Hollywood gears up for the next big awards season.
In a new interview with Variety, Gunn—who, lest we forget, got his start among the legendary B-movies of Troma Entertainment—was asked his thoughts on “prestige versus mainstream” movies.
“I don’t care about prestige,” he said. “I mean, sure, would it be cool to be nominated for Best Director or something? Yeah, would I rather have that than not? But it’s not really my concern. Occasionally I have ideas that are more independent movies, but I like making the kind of movies that I make, and I like making pop cinema, for lack of a better term.”
He continued. “If I can have those things also be something that are emotionally resonant to people, or affect people in a deeper, more spiritual way, like a lot of people have told me that Superman did, a lot of people have told me that Guardians 3 did, then that’s fantastic. That’s what I would love to be able to do. But I like making the big movies too. There’s an artistry to it, the creative flow. But then I also like the part of it that’s putting the big puzzle together and creating this machine that works for an audience to elicit a reaction from them, whether it’s emotional, whether it’s laughter, whether it’s screaming, whether it’s whatever it is. That’s the fun part of it.”
Variety asked, but this is all Gunn would reveal about 2027’s Man of Tomorrow, Gunn’s next directorial effort: “At its core, it’s about Clark and Lex. I relate to both of them. I relate to Lex’s ambition and obsession—minus the murder. And I relate to Superman’s belief in people, his Midwestern values. They’re two sides of me.”
Oscar nominations are announced January 22. It sounds like Gunn, who is clearly already living the dream anyway, won’t be holding his breath.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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