SUPERMAN: James Gunn Explains How Aware the Inhabitants of Earth Are of the Metahuman Population
We are weeks away from seeing what director James Gunn has done with the Superman franchise in his take on the classic story. He has given us plenty of photos, teases, and a couple of trailers to get us prepared, but he is giving us a little more context now was well.
In a recent interview with Gunn and the stars of the film, the director told Entertainment Weekly a bit about the world Superman is set in.
Gunn revealed that in this world, humanity has been clued into the existence of metahumans (i.e., super-powered individuals) for 300 years, and he compared them to celebrities.
"If you saw a shark-man walking down the street, you'd probably vomit and s--- yourself to death. If they saw one, it would be more like if you saw Paul McCartney on the sidewalk in New York."
It's a world that includes the Justice Gang, a super-trio comprised of Hawkgirl/Kendra Saunders (The Last of Us' Isabela Merced), Green Lantern/Guy Gardner (The Rookie's Nathan Fillion), and Mister Terrific/Michael Holt (The Harder They Fall's Edi Gathegi).
But they went corporate. Maxwell Lord (played by Gunn’s brother, Sean Gunn, of the Guardians of the Galaxy films), the head of LordTech and one of multiple tech billionaires in this world, is their backer. "They're good. They just are not saintly," Gunn says of the team.
It's also a world that often has a problem with someone like Superman. He's virtually all-powerful, so it's a challenge to physically stop him. The combination of his upbringing in rural town Smallville and the dying wish of his Kryptonian parents to safeguard humanity forms Clark's firm ideals about bettering civilization.
No corporation or government can taint them, which leads us to why Lois is eager to grill Superman. In the film, he decides to save civilians caught in a conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur (fictional nations from DC comics), which causes an international incident and earns him the ire of a White House that sees Superman as an American asset gone rogue.
In this film, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is also already aware of who her love interest, Clark Kent, is. She knows his superhero identity, and this makes him very vulnerable to her. Clark Kent actor David Corenswet said of Clark’s feelings toward his leading lady:
"Lois knows everything about him, so he's in a very vulnerable position. He's madly in love with this woman and desperately wants her to understand him and appreciate him and love him back."
It’s nice to have a fresh take on this property, and I have a lot of trust in the kind of movies and stories James Gunn makes. So I look forward to seeing how it will all play out.
Superman is set to fly into theaters on July 11th.
