James Gunn Shares New SUPERMAN Details Involving Lex Luthor, Clark and Lois' Relationship, and More

Superman director James Gunn continues to tease his film with new story details involving Lux Luthor, Lois and Clark’s relationship and dynamic, and his approach to Superman’s dual identities.

While talking to The Wrap, Gunn confirmed he's skipping the origin story when he said, "We just start in the middle of the action. Superman already exists. Lois and Clark already know each other."

As far as Lex Luthor goes, he said: "Lex hates Superman’s guts from the beginning, although they don’t know each other personally. So we start right in the middle of the action. It takes place over a short amount of time."

When talking about his approach to Clark Kent and Lois Lane's dynamic, Gunn shared: "The relationship between David and Rachel’s [characters] on screen is something I don’t think we’ve seen in – I hate to say stuff like this – but I don’t think it’s something we’ve ever seen any superhero movie ever."

He continues: "It’s a complicated relationship and we really get into it and there’s long scenes that are about their relationship and the way they relate and what it would be like for a person who’s this incredibly intelligent, strong-headed, stubborn, skeptical journalist, to have a relationship with someone who can lift a skyscraper.”

When asked is Lois is aware that Clark is Superman, Gunn responded: "Well, we’ll see. She knows who Superman is."

Then there’s how Superman balances his dual identities. When discussing that the filmmaker shared: "People said all sorts of different things. They said, 'Clark’s the real one.' They said, 'Superman’s the real one and Clark’s the secret identity.'

“But I don’t believe either of those things. I don’t think anybody knows Superman unless they know both of him. And when they know both of him, they know the real guy. And that means not too many people."

Gunn also addressed the tone of the film, and it seems like hr found a good balance. He said: "It’s humorous, but it certainly is not as comic or as much a comedy as either Suicide Squad or Guardians. There’s plenty of humor in it."

"People like Rachel Brosnahan are so funny and David Corenswet is very funny as well, so there’s humor in it, but it’s trying to create something that is grounded, but also it’s an incredibly fanciful world, it’s fantasy, it’s taking from other things like 'Game of Thrones,' where it’s this universe where superheroes actually exist."

Gunn’s Superman is going to be unlike any other Superman movie we’ve seen before and I’m looking forward to see his vision of it play out on the big screen!

Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.