SUPERMAN Director James Gunn Explains His Approach to Meeting DC Fan Expectations
Superman is a towering icon of hope and heroism, and writer and director James Gunn is acutely aware of the heavy expectations tied to bringing Superman, and the wider DCU, to life.
Gunn recently shared his insights on balancing fan expectations and crafting a Superman that resonates with a new generation of audiences.
In an interview with Screen Brief, Gunn addressed the challenge of meeting the diverse and often conflicting expectations of DC fans. Acknowledging the passion and strong opinions surrounding the "Trinity" of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, Gunn explained:
"The biggest challenge is that everyone in the world knows who Superman is and where he came from. Some of that’s a benefit, like we don’t go into origin stories in this.
“Practically everybody knows that Clark Kent came here in a rocket as a baby, sent by his Kryptonian parents, and a farm couple adopted him. So, we don’t have to go through all that. That’s a benefit, in a way."
However, Gunn also noted the emotional attachment fans have to these characters:
"But also, so many people in this world are so intimately attached to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman—The Big Three. They have specific ideas about what that character is to them."
Gunn recognizes that Superman, in particular, has been a challenging character for many fans to connect with due to his immense power. In regard to that he said:
"Most people have come up to me and said, 'I never really related to Superman because he’s just too powerful. I relate to Batman because he’s like the underdog.'
“So that’s something I took into account from the beginning, that a lot of people don’t relate to him. I think it’s a little bit to do with how we see him at the beginning of the trailer, and the beginning of the movie, too."
Yet, there’s another side to Superman’s appeal, as Gunn acknowledged:
"And other people like Superman because he can punch planets in half. So you’ve got to deal with all these different people who have different ideas of what Superman is supposed to be.
“And you have to deal with all of them and hopefully people are able to go and say, 'Well, okay, I like my idea what Superman is. Let’s see what this idea of Superman is. Let’s, let’s sit down for two hours and watch this movie and see what it is.'"
The director also touched on the importance of allowing the DCU to evolve with time and different creative visions:
"That’s what you’ve got to do with the DCU, because things are going to keep changing and evolving. A lot of people keep telling me, 'Oh my god, you made this trailer just for me! I can’t believe it!'
“And you know, other people are going to feel differently about it, but they can still enjoy the story and enjoy how our view of Superman is, or whatever other DC character there is."
Gunn’s take on Superman is set to launch a new era of DC films for DC Studios. As the first feature film in this reimagined universe, Superman it looks like the movie will include a mix of epic action, humor, and heart.
Gunn aims to deliver a Superman driven by compassion and a belief in humanity’s inherent goodness.
Superman will tell the story of “Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas.
“He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.
"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 and has shaped the DCU."
Superman stars David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane; Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor; Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern; Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific; Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen; María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica, aka The Engineer; Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher; and Terence Rosemore as Otis.
The movie arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.