James Gunn sets record straight on latest DCU casting news

James Gunn has spoken out after backlash to a recent DCU casting. 

Sean Gunn will be playing Maxwell Lord in the new DCU, a role that was previously played by Pedro Pascal in Wonder Woman 1984. 

Sean, however, already has two roles in Creature Commandos as both GI Robot and Weasel – and James previously said that actors would "generally" only play one role on screen, though could play more than one role in voice acting. 

Some people have interpreted Sean's casting as James going back on his word. Though, as the DC Studios co-CEO has pointed out, that's not actually the case. 

"I said, very clearly, actors will generally only be playing one character on screen, and said, in the same response, that for voice actors it's not the same," Gunn wrote on Instagram in a since-deleted exchange, per Screen Rant. 

"Sean, Alan Tudyk, Maria Bakalova, Steve Agee, etc, all play multiple roles in Creature Commandos," he continued. "That doesn't mean they won't play different characters onscreen. So, what's the need you have (and a handful of others) to [so] desperately need to believe I'm lying that you seem to purposefully ignore certain parts of what I said?"

The new DCU will begin in 2024 with Creature Commandos, though the first DCU movie will be 2025's Superman: Legacy. David Corenswet is the latest to don the red cape, with Nicholas Hoult playing Lex Luthor, and Rachel Brosnahan portraying Lois Lane. Nathan Fillion will also appear as Green Lantern Guy Gardner in the movie, with Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. 

At the moment, it's unclear when Sean's Maxwell Lord will be showing up, though Deadline – who broke the news – hears he'll be "referenced in the background" of Superman: Legacy, with appearances to come in future projects. 

While you wait for DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters to get started, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows to start getting excited.