SUPERMAN: LEGACY Director James Gunn Defends His Large Cast of Superheroes and Says They Aren't Cameos
James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy has a pretty big cast and it’s going to introduce a lot of DC superheroes, and because the film is overflowing with characters, fans are complaining. Gunn is now responding to those criticisms and compares the movie to Oppenheimer. He also reveals that these superheroes are getting more than just cameos.
When one fan on Threads pointed out that previous Superman movies featured only Kal-El as their protagonist, Gunn responded, saying: "We aren’t those movies. We’re us."
He went on to reveal that "none of [the superhero] roles is cameos," and he also made it clear that there is more casting to come: "What single-protagonist movie doesn’t have more than ten speaking roles?" Gunn asked. "There will be more."
One fan pointed out that Oppenheimer is a movie with a lead character who is surrounded by a large supporting cast, to which Gunn said, "Yep! So true. Very much a single protagonist film with a lot more characters than we have."
James Gunn isn’t a stranger to working with large ensemble casts after helming the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, so having a lot of characters in a movie isn’t really a new or surprising thing to see from Gunn. The filmmaker is a great storyteller and I’m confident that he’s going to deliver an awesome Superman movie!
Superman: Legacy 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.”
The film currently stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent / 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, and María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica, aka The Engineer.
Superman: Legacy will launch the movie part of DC Studios’ Gods and Monsters: Part 1. It’s scheduled for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.