James Gunn Isn't Sweating the Pressure on SUPERMAN: "F–king Iron Man Wasn't the Be-All and End-All"

When you're rebooting Superman, the most iconic superhero on the planet, you’d think the weight of the entire DC Universe might be enough to give you stress nightmares.

But for James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios and the writer-director behind Superman, the pressure isn't what you might expect. He’s not aiming for an instant billion-dollar juggernaut, he’s aiming for something simpler, and smarter.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn made it clear that he doesn’t buy into the idea that Superman needs to be a one-shot miracle to validate the DCU. He explained:

“Really, I just go, ‘That's their business.’ Because that's not the truth for me. My truth is this is the first movie out of DC Studios.”

Fans and Hollywood experts alike have positioned Superman as a make-or-break moment for the franchise, especially after years of chaos, reboots, false starts, and mustached CGI cleanup jobs. Gunn’s response? Chill.

“Other people may say, ‘It's gotta be a home run, nothing else.’ I'm like, ‘No, I'd be very happy with a double. F–king Iron Man wasn't the be-all and end-all. It wasn't Avatar.

“We are doing something that's a piece of the puzzle. It's not the puzzle itself. We have Peacemaker, we have Supergirl, and what we want to do is make a movie that people love, they feel connected to the characters. It's just this one movie. It's not everything.”

We live in a cinematic era where every new release feels like it's carrying the weight of the survival of Hollywood and movie theaters. Gunn’s focused on telling a great story, not saving an entire brand with a single film.

He’s also tired of the headlines that try to stack every DC problem on his shoulders.

“I hate it when there's a f–king article and it's going on about all the problems and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and 'that means even more pressure on James Gunn and Superman.'

“I’m like, 'Guys, I'm not responsible for all that. I'm responsible for my piece of the pie. I've gotta make my budget back. I'll be very happy with that.’”

I’m sure that Superman will be fine. While the movie is dropping right in the middle of a cinematic clash with Jurassic World: Rebirth and Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, Gunn doesn’t seem fazed. His eyes aren’t on box office domination, they’re on building a foundation, one character at a time.

Superman flies into theaters July 11, 2025. Whether it’s a homerun, a double, or something in between, Gunn’s playing the long game.