With James Gunn taking charge of the DCU, it was only a matter of time before things started changing in some big ways. While most people probably weren’t expecting his sweeping changes to come so fast out of the gate, it’s clear to many that Gunn has a plan. With that said, James Gunn’s DCU has some interesting casting choices, and not all of them are thrilling fans of the universe.

While there is always drama surrounding major characters being recast or not being recast, there is something to be said about having faith in James Gunn. He’s been involved in the business for longer than many fans of the DCU have even been alive, and he has a proven comic book movie track record. Casting choices can be worrisome, but fans really do need to cut James Gunn a bit more slack.

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The DCU Is Using Some Of The Same Actors

While some fans lose their minds at all the different recasts and newly announced cast for the DCU, that doesn’t mean that everything has changed. Some actors like Viola Davis, John Cena, Sean Gunn, and even Jason Mamoa are all at least confirmed to be reappearing in the universe moving forward. Viola Davis’ incredible performances as Amanda Waller likely made her too perfect for the character to pass up, and the same can be said for John Cena and his work both in The Suicide Squad and his own series Peacemaker. Interestingly, there are plenty of rumors that moving forward, Jason Mamoa will be changing roles from Aquaman to take on the role of Lobo.

There have been a lot of people who are critical of the various casting choices, but keeping some of the most beloved aspects of the previous DCU was a good move. Most people can agree that Viola Davis and John Cena are both excellent in everything they appear in, even when the movies they’re in aren’t necessarily incredible. At the same time, keeping Jason Mamoa in the universe and potentially changing gears to have him in a role that he’s been fan-casted in pretty much since his days in Game Of Thrones just makes sense. Even if he simply continues as Aquaman moving forward, people aren’t going to be complaining to see more Mamoa. There are still rumors surrounding the likes of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, but sometimes change is required no matter how perfect someone is for a role.

The Casting Process Is Not Part Of The Story

One thing that a lot of people lose sight of is the fact that who is cast in a role is not the end of the world as it is quite rare that a major studio’s casting decision completely breaks a movie's watchability. One of the most famous modern examples of this is from the James Bond series, as back before Casino Royale was released, both fans and critics of the series weren't thrilled with the fact that Daniel Craig had been cast. Fast forward more than a decade and a half later and Daniel Craig is now viewed by many to be one of the greatest James Bonds of all time, as having some of the best Bond movies of all time, and overall bringing something entirely new and refreshing to a character that some had felt had grown stale.

James Gunn has so much experience in Hollywood, so it’s safe to assume that he’s planned out a specific feel for this new DCU. Just like the MCU, the DC multiverse moving forward is likely to tackle some kind of ambitious interconnected story, and fans are going to be hoping that Gunn nails the landing. The most important aspect of the planning stages is to make sure that the ideas for the story are solid, believable, and make sense for each and every character that fans get to see on screen. As long as the DCU is able to put out some compelling stories, competent actors will be more than capable of making things work, if not right away then with some time in the role.

The Right Actors Should Play The Roles

The most important part of any movie is that the right actor plays the part for that particular iteration of a character. Just because DCU fans know and love Superman doesn’t mean that James Gunn isn’t looking for someone to bring a specific attribute to the character for his universe in order to set him apart from the previous versions. The actors he needs to portray each character will need to fit the stories he wants to tell, and as much as it hurts to lose Henry Cavill as Superman, David Corenswet is likely to do just as fantastic a job during his turn as the Man of Steel in Superman: Legacy. Fans have no idea what the intention behind the casting decisions is as they have no idea what the new versions of these characters are meant to be like.

It’s possible Superman needs to be younger to add some level of naivety or arrogance to the character in order to give him important lessons to learn and room for character growth as the universe carries onward. At the same time, casting choices can be used to surprise fans down the line. It might be useful to have a few youthful heroes mixed in with a few veteran heroes, only to kill off a surprising name, say like Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern, just to make way for a younger hero to take up the mantle. Fans need to stop worrying about which actor is taking up which role and just have faith that James Gunn has learned more than enough to ensure that the right actors are taking up the right mantles.

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