James Gunn is known for directing ensemble pieces in the realm of comic book movies, having helmed the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy and 2021’s “The Suicide Squad.” So, given that he’s taking on this summer’s “Superman” for Warner Bros., it’s reasonable to wonder if Gunn is going to take a similar approach to the Man of Steel. Whether you were hoping for a hero-filled story or worried the focus was going to be pulled away from Supes, however, Gunn has made it clear: his latest is not a team adventure.
/Film’s Bill Bria recently attended a special press event featuring Gunn and Peter Safran, who’re serving as the co-heads of DC Studios at Warner Bros. That also means they’ve been tasked with launching the new DC Universe, a franchise that technically began with the release of the animated “Creature Commandos” series on Max but will kick off in earnest with “Superman” in July. Gunn addressed the “Superman” ensemble question head-on at the event, making it crystal clear the focus will be squarely on David Corenset’s Clark Kent:
“I do not think of ‘Superman’ as not an ensemble. It’s about three characters. It’s Superman, Lois [Lane], and Lex [Luthor]. Those are the three characters it’s about. Everybody else serves that story. Although Edi Gathegi’s character is pretty big, those are the three. And Krypto’s pretty big too, actually felt like it really is about those.”
The first trailer for “Superman” includes several members of the Justice League, such as Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). There are also other major DC characters such as Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, which Gunn alluded to, not to mention The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), who might help build a bridge to DC’s upcoming “The Authority” movie. Despite that, Gunn went so far as to say that “every single frame in the movie is about Superman’s story.”
James Gunn’s Superman isn’t Guardians of the Galaxy
When Gunn and Safran took over as the heads of DC Studios, they laid out a plan to create a cohesive, connected universe that spans across movies, TV, and even video games in the future, with the first chapter of the new DCU dubbed “Gods and Monsters.” That means they will need to help set up future projects within movies like “Superman.” Even so, Gunn emphasized that his movie is not like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and is more of an individual story:
“It’s about his personal journey. It is not ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ Every character has their arc like I would have in any story, but it really is about Superman.”
As for the future of the DC Universe? “We’re heading somewhere,” Safran teased. “There’s a plan of things for movies with more characters in there,” Gunn added. Again, that could include the “Authority” movie that Gunn announced a couple of years ago. That could also include an eventual “Justice League” film, though no such thing has been announced as of this writing. Safran, touching on the future, explained how this process of building things out will work functionally:
“We know where we’re headed to with the larger story, and so James makes sure that those building blocks are going to be put in place. And then around that, there’s a tremendous amount of latitude in terms of what we do.”
Basically, Gunn and Safran don’t want to paint themselves into a corner, which is smart. If they can hit some very basic beats, the larger story they want to tell can still come together while allowing movies like “Superman” to largely stand on their own two feet.
“Superman” reaches theaters on July 11, 2025.
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