James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios and director of the upcoming Superman movie, has reflected on his time in the MCU and how it is shaping his approach to the new DCU. He helmed all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies and also served as a writer on each volume, which established him as a prominent figure in the superhero genre, but he never turned his back on Star-Lord and his ragtag crew of cosmic cult favorites even when he wasn’t involved in the projects they were in, particularly when it came to Rocket Raccoon. During a recent appearance on Max’s DC Studios Showcase podcast, Gunn discussed the importance of character consistency when it comes to filmmaking and explained how it can be achieved when jumping from one project to another. He used Rocket as an example, saying that he made sure to protect the character from other writers by overseeing the scripts he was featured in outside the Guardians of the Galaxy films. He also shared a very personal reason for safeguarding the anthropomorphic animal in particular, but then asserted that he would maintain the same commitment to the DC characters he plans on bringing to the screen:

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“I was like this when I worked at Marvel. I would get scripts with Rocket in them that didn’t match how I understood [the character] – that character was my soul. So, I would always make sure that his voice always made sense, that what he did always made sense. And I do that with the characters in DC across all the films and television shows. They’ve got to be true to the character, especially if it’s a character that I originated on film.”
Rocket made his debut appearance in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and quickly established himself as a central MCU character. He was also the main motivator behind Gunn returning to complete the trilogy despite having a lot on his plate with the DCU by the time the third and final film came around. Additionally, Rocket appeared in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder, where Gunn kept a watchful eye over the character and consulted with the directors to ensure that he was appropriately represented.
‘Superman’ Will Feature Several Major ‘Guardians’ Cameos

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Gunn has previously been open about his casting approach for the DC Universe, saying some of the stars he enlists “will be brand new faces, some will be actors I’ve worked with before, and some will be actors you know who I’ve never worked with.” His comments immediately sparked speculation about whether any actors from the MCU, particularly Guardians of the Galaxy, could show up in DC Studios’ upcoming slate of movies and TV shows, starting with Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, spearheaded by Gunn and Peter Safran. The first movie of the new DCU is Superman, which is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025. It will see the debut of David Corenswet’s Man of Steel, as well as Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. The film also features cameos from a few Guardians of the Galaxy actors, as it was recently revealed that Mantis actress Pom Klementieff and Yondu actor Michael Rooker had signed on as robots in the Fortress of Solitude, along with Bradley Cooper, who voices Gunn’s beloved Rocket — marking a mini cast reunion. Source: Max