by James Gunn is officially making Superman: Legacy his next directorial vehicle. Gunn has been writing the feature since before he became co-head of DC Studios in November, and it was widely expected that he would direct, though that wasn’t clear given his duties overseeing the expanding DC slate with partner Peter Safran.
Superman: Legacy it will be the first big-screen feature film of the Gunn-Safran era. Warner Bros. has the project dated for July 11, 2025.
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“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. It’s kindness in a world that thinks kindness is old-fashioned,” Safran told reporters in late January.
On Wednesday, Gunn explained that he had been hesitant about accepting a Superman film, even though he had been offered the character before accepting. The suicide squad for Warners. “I initially said no because I had no way of feeling unique and funny and emotional which gave Superman the dignity he deserved,” Gunn wrote on Twitter. “Then, a little less than a year ago, I saw a way out, in many ways centered around Superman’s legacy: the way both his Kryptonian aristocratic parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes.”
Even after deciding to write, he was reluctant to direct. He explained the director: “Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend more than two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude. But, in the long and short, I love this script and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.
Notably, this Superman will not be played by Henry Cavill, the actor who played the superhero Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) e Justice League (2017), and who made a cameo appearance in last year’s Black Adam. While Cavill believed he would take on the mantle for more films, after Gunn and Safran took over DC, it became apparent they were going to go in a younger direction for the hero.
Superman: Legacy it will mark Gunn’s first time directing an A-list superhero. He’s made a name for himself by taking relatively unknown characters like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and turning them into household names. He also elevated DC’s D-list characters like Polka-Dot Man and King Shark to silver screen status The suicide squadto strong reviews.
The feature film is one of the projects Gunn and Safran have been teasing as part of what they’ve dubbed Chapter 1: God and Monsters, which is advertised as an overarching story told across several TV shows and movies. Other titles include Supergirl: the woman of tomorrow AND The authority. Even on the big screen there will be titles that do not fit into their general continuity, such as the film by Matt Reeves The Batman Part IIto be released on October 3, 2025.
Friday, the Safran produced Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters, the first of four DC feature films released this year that were made before Gunn and Safran took over DC. In addition to his duties at DC, Gunn is closing another chapter in his career, the one that made him a great director nearly a decade ago; his latest film from Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3will be released on May 5th.
For Gunn, which counts those of Richard Donner Superman as a seminal theatrical experience, the release date of Superman: Legacy it’s significant. “My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started crying,” Gunn he wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “I asked him why. He said, “Dude, it’s Dad’s birthday.” I hadn’t realised. Their father died two weeks before Gunn began production The suicide squad.
Reflects Gunn: “I lost my father almost three years ago. He was my best friend. He didn’t understand me as a kid, but he supported my love of comics and my love of movies and I wouldn’t make this movie now without him.
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