Summary

Craig Mazin and James Gunn's obscure superhero satire, The Specials, paved the way for their successful careers.
The movie features a superhero team with comically low stakes and quirky powers, fostering character dynamics and humor.
Despite falling into obscurity, The Specials showcases Gunn and Mazin's early work in blending emotional character work and comedy.

Before taking the helm of the new Superman movie, James Gunn penned the script for a forgotten superhero satire that was directed by The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin. Gunn is one of the biggest names in superhero entertainment, having written and directed some of the most well-received outings in recent memory with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and The Suicide Squad. Gunn and Peter Safran also took over DC Studios for Warner Bros., with Superman set to kick off their cinematic DC Universe plans.

Craig Mazin has gained notoriety for co-creating the video game adaptation The Last of Us for HBO, as well as their dramatic miniseries Chernobyl, which garnered him an Emmy. However, Mazin got his start with the world of comedy, penning scripts for Scary Movie 3, Superhero Movie, and the Hangover sequels. Mazin also directed Superhero Movie, but the spoof comedy wasn't his first directorial effort, which came years earlier from a script penned by Gunn called The Specials.

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By Tyler Mitchell

James Gunn Wrote A Superhero Satire Directed By The Last Of Us Co-Creator Craig Mazin

The Specials was released in 2000, with Gunn penning the script, which was passed via Sean Gunn to Jamie Kennedy, who then gave it to Peter Safran. The chain of events would see Safran sign Gunn as a client, with The Specials being produced on a shoestring budget with Mazin directing an ensemble cast. The cast included Rob Lowe as The Weevil, Thomas Haden Church as The Strobe, Paget Brewster as Ms. Indestructible, Jamie Kennedy as Amok, Judy Greer as Deadly Girl, James Gunn as Minute Man, Sean Gunn as Alien Orphan, Jordan Ladd as Nightbird, and Kelly Coffield as Power Chick. The movie also featured famous actors in smaller parts, like Jenna Fischer and Melissa Joan Hart.

The plot of the comedic satire follows the seventh most popular superhero team, The Specials, who have been unable to garner notoriety due to their anti-corporate stance and lack of merchandising, leaving them to tackle the jobs that more prestigious superteams deem too low-priority. Using the team's newest member, Nightbird, as a way to introduce the characters and the stakes, things quickly turn sour when a new toy deal produces lackluster results and the team's leader, The Strobe, disbands the team after his wife, Ms. Indestructible, is caught cheating with the team's most popular member, The Weevil.

The stakes for The Specials is comically low, with the film clearly being made on a small budget. However, it thrives on humorous dynamics and character insecurities. Gunn's Minute Man is capable of shrinking to a small size, but constantly has his name mispronounced as minuteman, Kennedy's Amok is a crude reformed villain who often feels out of place, and Nightbird can lay eggs that each contain different weapons, making for uniquely bizarre powers and stakes at play throughout the movie. While the themes come down to teamwork, forgiveness, and believing in yourself, The Specials keeps audiences laughing at just how low-stakes the whole movie can be, even when some of their powers can seem grandiose.

The Specials Paved The Way For Gunn and Mazin’s Future A-List Projects

The Specials serves as humble beginnings for both Mazin and Gunn, who have gone on to create some of the most well-known shows and movies of recent memory. Mazin's career beginning in comedy seems almost odd given that his greatest successes have been with dramatic hits like The Last of Us and Chernobyl. However, those shows thrive on characters just like The Specials. While Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us may not be going for chuckles, their bond is forged through a shared struggle, much like the misguided superhero team in The Specials.

Gunn's career has remained in line with comedic hero content, as he would go on to refine what he started with The Specials with smaller films like Super before shifting into the MCU. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy highlighted an eclectic team of oddballs that were capable of delivering laughs and action-packed thrills in equal measure. Furthermore, the Guardians films are emotionally moving, drawing tears from audiences as deftly as laughs. Gunn even continued the trend when he moved over to DC, writing and directing The Suicide Squad and the TV series Peacemaker, which were both hailed for their ability to have audiences laughing through the bombastic action.

When Gunn and Safran were given control of DC Studios, it was the culmination of a long partnership that began with The Specials. Now that Gunn's Superman is slated to hit theaters, the writer and director looks set to continue his skillful melding of action, emotion, and comedy on his biggest scale yet.

The Specials Has Fallen Into Almost Complete Obscurity, Despite Genuine Star Power

After its initial release, The Specials fell into obscurity, with many Gunn fans having not seen it due to it merely being difficult to find. The film was given a limited DVD release, with the most recent being a 20th anniversary Blu-ray release in 2020. However, the physical media releases of The Specials have become hard to find, with even the DVD versions often going for high prices online.

The Specials garnered lukewarm reviews, proving to be a distinct early effort from Gunn and Mazin, who have gone on to do better things. However, even with their level of notoriety in the industry, their first superhero movie remains difficult to find. The movie can't be found on any streaming service as of now, though that could change if audiences show an interest in the obscure comedy, especially with Gunn and Mazin's continuing careers. As The Last of Us concludes its second season and Gunn's Superman is about to take cinemas by storm, The Specials serves as a unique time capsule of superhero satire that highlights the early work of two stellar creative minds.

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