Host of The Superman-On-Film Podcast, talking the past, present & future of the Man of Steel on the big screen. Join the countdown to SUPERMAN on 7.11.25!
Happy Labor Day!
Here's the latest episode, based on the topic YOU chose:
"Biggest Concerns About James Gunn's SUPERMAN"
Check it out on YouTube here or find it in audio form in your podcatcher of choice. Subscribe to The Superman-On-Film Podcast today:
“The history of DC is pretty messed up. It was f***ed up. No one was minding the mint. They were giving away IP like they were party favors at any creator who smiled at them.”
- James Gunn, on why DC Studios needed to happen
“We won’t greenlight a film until we have a finished script we’re happy with and, in general, we won’t cast a film until the script is finished.
It’s always gonna be QUALITY FIRST no matter what.”
- James Gunn on how DC Studios lines projects up
“I can’t go into politics.
I can’t do anything with science.
So the only thing I can do for this planet is to create stories about love. And that’s what I think that we can do over the next eight to 10 years.”
- James Gunn, on his priorities as DC Studios Co-Head
#DCStudios
’ James Gunn on the DCU vs the MCU:
“We are telling a big, huge central story that is like Marvel, except for, I think that we're a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning, because we've gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely.”
“But we’re also creating a universe that is like STAR WARS where there are different times, different places, different things, [and] like GAME OF THRONES, where characters are a little bit more morally complex.”
- James Gunn,
#DCStudios
Yes. To all of this. Just yes.
#DCU
“We are not going to put hundreds of millions of dollars into a film where a screenplay is only two-thirds of the way done and we have to finish it while we’re making the movie. I’ve seen it happen again and again and it’s a mess.”
- James Gunn, DC Studios
“You can't be telling the same 'good guy, bad guy, giant thing in the sky, good guys win' story again. You need to tell stories that are more morally complex. You need to tell stories that don't just PRETEND to be different genres but actually ARE different genres.”
- James Gunn
“It’s important to say that Henry Cavill was not fired. Henry was just not hired to be Superman in SUPERMAN. There was never a deal there for another movie.”
- James Gunn on Henry Cavill
Some of y’all still don’t get it. This week’s podcast will make it very clear.
“Different artists bring remarkably different looks and feels and tones.
This is NOT the Gunnverse.
I want each project to have the feelings of the individual artist that’s working on it and to give them a lot of freedom.”
- James Gunn, DC Studios
Love this. Yes, please!
So…I know Chapter One of the DCU.
I’m not going to leak it, because I don’t want to take any of the buzz away from the announcement tomorrow.
All I’ll say is…I was way wrong about it only being 3-4 movies lol
More tomorrow!
What a time to be alive.
“The thing about Superman is: He can have doubts; he can show his humanity. But he's not a morally conflicted character. He's not Shakespearean. If you make him morally conflicted, that goes beyond even ‘bad Superman,’ now you've lost the character."
- Christopher Reeve
“Actually, I question where the fatigue lies. I'm very curious to see what happens around any notion of superhero fatigue when James Gunn’s superhero (projects) come out. I don't think the audience is fatigued. I think the audience is hungry.”
- Anthony Starr, The Boys
#DCU
SUPERMAN RETURNS was a sequel to the Reeve films.
MAN OF STEEL was a riff on the first two Reeve films.
SUPERMAN: LEGACY will be the first Superman movie that’ll be proudly different/unrelated to the Reeve/Donner collaboration.
I am here for that.
“People have gotten really lazy with their superhero stories […] and they aren't thinking about, 'Why is this story special? Why is this character important? What makes this story different that it fills a need for people in theaters to go see?”
- James Gunn, DC Studios
“I learned so much from making these [Guardians] movies. But it’s not like Superman is going to have exactly the same vibe as a Guardians movie. It’s actually quite different.”
- James Gunn on the tone for SUPERMAN: LEGACY
#SupermanLegacy
#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3
There’s nothing like the glee I felt on Friday night, watching that opening sequence from
#TheFlash
in a mostly packed theater with fans and three of my very best friends.
Watching The Flash and Batman do their thing was peak DC on film.
Bring me The Brave and The Bold!
“The 8-10 year plan is two chapters & there’s an ending to our basic story that we tell there, but it’s not the ending of the universe. Will Peter & I be here beyond that time? [Laughs] But those first 2 chapters are worked out, & then it can go on from there.”
- James Gunn
#DCU
“How can you be so excited about all this DC Studios stuff?”
It’s simple.
This is exactly what I’ve wanted for DC for 15+ years.
A cohesive, connected universe, with someone I trust at the center, calling the shots.
I’m finally getting that starting this December.
#DCU
“People have gotten a little lazy, a lot of biff, pow, bam stuff happening, and I’m watching 3rd acts of superhero films where I don’t feel like there’s a rhyme or reason to what’s happening.
I don’t care about the characters. And they’ve gotten too generic.”
- James Gunn
“[My] pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman. I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take]. I love the Henry Cavill dark & gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright & optimistic.”
- David Corenswet in 2019
Dreams come true!
“I learned so much from making [the Guardians of the Galaxy] movies. But it's not like Superman is going to have exactly the same vibe as a Guardians movie.
It's actually quite different.”
- James Gunn
(Via:
@THR
)
"No. Although they’re connected and in the same universe, every project should work as an individual story in and of itself."
- James Gunn, on whether you’ll have to watch every DCU project to understand everything
“DC Studios is just a standalone studio production entity. And it’s unprecedented because it’s the FIRST TIME EVER that all film, all television, live action, animation, and gaming is all centralized under one creative vision.”
- Peter Safran
So…DC Studios > DC Entertainment
Chris Pratt: "It sounds like there’s going to be a character called Krypto in 'Superman' — breaking news."
Interviewer: "That’s a scoop for me."
James Gunn: "It is a scoop, I guess."
Krypto will appear in SUPERMAN: LEGACY!
By the way…
I know my focus is on film, so I don’t bring him up nearly often enough, but Tyler Hoechlin has been doing an incredible job as Superman for years now.
He’s the blueprint for a modern Supes.
“I had Superman posters all over my walls in my childhood bedroom, and I went to work for the Donners, Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner, because of Superman. The notion of those characters being in such good hands with James is exciting.”
- Kevin Feige on Gunn leading DC
James Gunn is really out here restoring my faith in DC being able to make great movies again.
It’s been so long since it’s felt like anyone running DC cared this much and wasn’t just trying to make money.
“I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much.”
- James Gunn, on his
#Superman
Happy Wrap Day!
Bring on July 11, 2025!
#UpUpAndAway
Will all DCU projects have a similar general tone and feel?
“There will not be a general tone. Just as there is not a general tone in the great comics series. It will shift from project to project, filmmaker to filmmaker.”
-
@JamesGunn
As it should be!
#DCStudios
REALITY CHECK:
Since The Rock has rewritten his history with Black Adam, and I was actually covering this stuff on a daily basis in the mid-2010s, I’d like to clue you in on the REAL history of his association with DC.
While he ENDED UP at Black Adam, he didn’t start there.
“The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.”
- James Gunn on casting Superman
“The bar for an Elseworlds Tale is going to be higher than the bar for something in the DCU. It’s got to be something REALLY special for us to tell that story OUTSIDE of our regular continuity and to spend the money on it to make it.”
- James Gunn on Elseworld films
"People want to see new and surprising stories that don’t seem like a retread of what they’ve already seen, whether it’s superheroes or giant monsters or cowboys."
- James Gunn, Co-Head of DC Studios
“Why couldn’t Gunn just use Cavill for Legacy?”
What if Gunn’s story needs…
- A young Superman?
- A Fortress of Solitude w/ Jor-El?
- A living Jonathan?
- A Superman who hasn’t already died?
- A Clark Kent who wasn’t reported dead?
- Jimmy Olsen?
Cavill only works for MOS 2.
“It's easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians [of the Galaxy], or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them. People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman.”
- James Gunn, understanding the assignment
I love John Williams. The soundtrack to Superman: The Movie is baked into my DNA.
No one was happier than me when they used his theme for Superman Returns- a spiritual sequel to the Reeve films.
But this new Superman, just like Man of Steel before it, needs his own theme.
“I like very serious superhero movies, and I like very comedic superhero movies. I like ones that are a murder mystery but it’s with superheroes. I like to see these different types of stories, as opposed to seeing the same story told over and over again.”
James Gunn, DC Studios
“I’ve done a total of one day of reshoots on my past two films combined.”
- James Gunn, who’s last two films were Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Suicide Squad
Having a clear vision from Day 1 makes such a difference.
“We have a lot to prove. It’s going to be up to us to show the audience what our universe is, how this is connected, [to] clearly demarcate what is DCU and what is Elseworlds, and to move like that going [forward]. So it’s going to take some time.”
- James Gunn on rebooting DC
#TheFlashMovie
delivers.
It’s a celebration of all things DC, sure, but it’s biggest selling point is its big beautiful heart.
It’s an imaginative, reverent, and adventurous ride, expertly designed by Andy Muschietti.
But it probably should’ve been longer.
Full review coming!
“I call that ‘Cameo P*rn’ and it has been one of the worst elements of recent superhero films. If a character is in film, they have to have a reason to be there story-wise.”
- James Gunn, while assuring fans that the various heroes in SUPERMAN are part of the STORY, not cameos.
Feeling really great vibes about DC and Superman these days. Between the set photos from Cleveland and the excitement created by just a LOGO at SDCC…the future just seems so bright right now.
Is it just me?
#UpUpAndAway
“If it’s a story that’s more complicated, like [LANTERNS], like WALLER, or [if] it’s more of an independent TV vibe like BOOSTER GOLD, in a way, then that’s more suited to television. So it has to do with tone. It has to do with storytelling.”
- James Gunn on TV or Film for DCU
“This is half of it.”
- James Gunn, when asked if these 10 projects are EVERYTHING in Chapter 1 of the DCU (“Gods and Monsters”)
Let this be your reminder that there’s way more being cooked up than we know!
“Zack Snyder to Appear on Russo Bros. Podcast to Talk Justice League”
This should be a fascinating listen. I wonder how open he’s going to be about everything.
And if he’s willing to officially let his fans know the fate of the Snyderverse.
“Nothing is ‘in production’ unless it’s been greenlit. Right now that’s Superman, Supergirl, Penguin, Peacemaker, Lanterns, and a handful of animated projects.”
- James Gunn, clarifying which DCU projects have received a green light
I hadn’t realized LANTERNS was already there!
I love this.
As successful as Marvel Studios was, it’s no secret that a lot of what they did was reverse-engineered & created on the fly as they went…until they finally did create some master plan.
DC Studios launching with a fully worked-out plan will make a huge difference.
RUMOR:
James Gunn’s SUPERMAN is “a complete shift to hardcore sci-fi and fantasy.
It's set in a world very different from ours, and far removed from the DCEU.
Heroes have been around for ages, and we'll see how it affected this world's history.”
✅✅✅
(via:
@DanielRPK
)
This decision was so very stupid.
It looks TERRIBLE.
It feels DISRESPECTFUL.
And it serves NO purpose.
To me, if they were gonna bring Reeve “back,” then they should’ve hired a double, given him dialogue, and made him part of the movie for a key scene.
Go big or go home!
“Can’t wait for you all to see this masterpiece of a film.”
- James Gunn on Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
This is gonna be an emotional ride. I can already tell.
“When they first read together it was like magic.
What a wonderful year it's been with two of the most extraordinary, vibrant, and meticulous actors I've ever had the opportunity to work with. I can't wait for you to see them on screen.”
- James Gunn on Corenswet & Brosnahan
Lord & Miller finishing up at Sony is big.
After INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE came out I started campaigning for Sony to make them THE architects of their whole Spidey Universe.
They need to bring their talents to DC Studios.
(BTW- Gunn’s favorite Marvel flick: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE)
"I’m hiring great directors & writers. It’s going to be interesting stuff, if nothing else. That’s what I’d rather make; Stuff that’s interesting and doesn’t work [rather] than stuff that is just the same old thing that we’ve seen again and again."
- James Gunn’s DCU priorities.
The reason it comes off as such a blatant Hail Mary is, we KNOW:
1. This wasn’t the original plan
2. The new F4 wasn’t going this way originally and may suffer for it
3. They spent years on a prolonged build to Kang
4. This is a very public, desperate pivot
5. It’s lazy AF
Ezra will be fine.
Michael is bulletproof.
Sasha is the one I feel the worst for when it comes to how the world shrugged off
#TheFlash
This was supposed to be the launchpad of her career. Now she’s in purgatory, attached to a historic bomb.
“Everything is crossing over throughout. These characters are all interacting throughout the different stories. It doesn’t mean always. Brave and the Bold may just be Batman and Robin. But I know a lot of other times the characters cross over.”
- James Gunn on a unified DCU
I’m so impressed with James Gunn’s approach so far, where he announces a project- and then immediately points you towards the books that are inspiring it.
It immediately gives the DCU an identity.
As I read these stories, I’m imagining what it’s all going to look and feel like.
We are 740 days away from Superman: Legacy!
James Gunn is writing and directing the reboot- which is rumored to bring back Superman’s iconic look from the Max Fleischer cartoons- and it will star David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.
It arrives on July 11, 2025
#UpUpAndAway
A couple things I’ll share that don’t spoil anything:
We can officially put to bed any of the rumors or theories of Gunn bringing The Batman into the DCU.
Reeves/Pattinson are staying firmly on their own.
And…there’s stuff coming that NOBODY predicted.
I remember doubting James Gunn when the 1st Guardians movie was announced.
I thought, “That’ll be Marvel’s 1st mistake. The world is interested in the Avengers. Not a random group with a talking raccoon.”
Then GoTG beat Man of Steel in every way.
Not doubting him again.
DC Studios has its work cut out.
They have to make the DC name MEAN something again.
Audiences have to see this logo and get excited for what’s to come.
Box office post-2018 shows audiences lost all faith in the brand itself.
It’ll be bumpy. But I have lots of Hope.
You?
There’s no way THE FLASH opens to anything less than $95M. In fact, I’m thinking it’ll surpass $110M.
Bookmark this tweet.
And disregard the tracking estimate of $70M.
We all heard about Henry Cavill having meetings for MAN OF STEEL 2 during the BLACK ADAM days.
But while researching for last week’s episode I discovered this little nugget from
@Deadline
:
WB didn’t like what they heard, and this happened as they passed the baton to Gunn.
“The position is different than it was with Zack [Snyder], etc.
Peter & I are the HEADS of DC Studios.
The only studio interference would be from us!”
- James Gunn, when asked if WB can interfere with his DCU plans
Yet some STILL think this is “same ol, same ol.”
All this talk of Hugh Jackman & Wesley Snipes having these historically long runs as
#Wolverine
&
#Blade
has me hoping we all get to say the same thing about David Corenswet as
#Superman
one day.
We know James Gunn has 10 years of story set for him already.
L.F.G.
#UpUpAndAway
When I see Snyder fans celebrating The Flash’s struggles- these people who love to play the victim card- and snickering at those of us hurt by its failure, I think of how I’ve never done anything similar and I enjoy that their universe is dead.
You’re why I already love the DCU.
I will say, while I’m worried about how it’s going to do at the box office, the fact that
#ShazamFuryOfTheGods
is screening for critics almost three weeks before it premieres means they think the film’s a winner, and they’re hoping the positive buzz from critics will sell it.