James Gunn stepped in to defend screenwriter Christina Hodson following a question about her involvement with the DCU’s upcoming Batman The Brave and the Bold film.
In a new exchange on Threads, a fan asked Gunn if Gunn’s comment that “The universe is rife with incorrect information about the Brave and the Bold on every level” meant that Hodson was not attached to the project.
Gunn responded strongly in support of her, stating: “I will only say anyone maligning Christina Hodson’s screenwriting skills has almost certainly never read an actual screenplay by Christina Hodson – she’s one of the writers who was with us early in the DCU planning stages. I don’t think you can judge my writing based on films others directed, as massive liberties are sometimes taken.”
Gunn Hints Studio Changes Impacted Flash
That last part of Gunn’s response — “massive liberties are sometimes taken” — appears to back up our earlier reports about how The Flash was heavily altered from its original vision.
As we previously reported, the real ending of The Flash was supposed to set up a Batman Multiverse, including Ben Affleck continuing as the Dark Knight.
It’s the ending and script that Hodson may have originally written, and it’s the version Gunn may have been referring to when he said The Flash is the best superhero movie ever.
However, those plans were scrapped and replaced with a different outcome, as we were told that WBD CEO David Zaslav demanded that DC go in a different direction.
Margot Robbie has also said the original villain of Birds of Prey was meant to be The Penguin, but was replaced with Black Mask at the request of Matt Reeves due his The Batman film using Colin Farrell.
Certainly, Hodson can’t be blamed for all the changes.
Hodson’s Recent Projects and DCU Future
Christina Hodson is credited with writing both Birds of Prey and The Flash, two films that flopped at the box office. She also wrote the canceled Batgirl movie, and Bumblebee.
Despite that, she’s been kept in the fold by Gunn and Safran to help launch the new Batman under the DCU banner.
While fan reactions remain divided, Gunn’s latest comments suggest Hodson still has strong backing at the top, and that the final cut of past films may not accurately reflect her original work.
