By Superman may not just be the initial DCU film – as stated by director James Gunn, it’s also his first superhero film overall.
Gunn, of course, directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy films (and the Holiday Special) for Marvel, and his debut venture into DC occurred in 2021 with The Suicide Squad.
Currently, however, Gunn serves as co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, meaning he’s effectively both director and Kevin Feige regarding Superman.
“Yes, that’s accurate, except Kevin has to manage a lot of tasks that Peter handles, and Peter looks after numerous things for me, my partner,” Gunn mentions when we present the comparison to him.
“In some respects, though, it’s strange, because you say I’ve created superhero films with Marvel, but I really didn’t,” he goes on. “Guardians were cosmic adventurers. They truly weren’t superheroes. They lacked secret identities, masks, or costumes, or they possessed superpowers, but they weren’t really superpowers. They were just the abilities of wherever they hailed from.
“Therefore, I believe that, in numerous ways, this is my inaugural superhero film, since even the Suicide Squad comprised supervillains,” he adds. “This brought its own set of challenges. Because superheroes, everything I create stems from a foundation of, ‘Well, what if this were authentic?’ You know, if I began narrating the story of Rocket Raccoon, ‘What if Rocket Raccoon existed? How would he thrive? Where would he originate from?’ And with this, ‘What if Superman existed? What are his principles? What is his dynamic with his girlfriend like? What is his rapport with the government like?’ So it genuinely stemmed from that standpoint.”
Superman also utilizes the hero’s extensive comic book legacy, even incorporating some significant deep cuts such as Clark Kent’s hypnotic glasses – which, Gunn clarifies, arise from the same line of thought.
“It originates from the concept of, what if Superman was genuine?” he articulates. “Like for me, even when I was young, I always thought, ‘What’s up with the glasses? How is that a disguise?’ Now, I realize some individuals are like, ‘Well, suspension of disbelief, he’s a superhero. He wears a cape.’ But I’m like, ‘I don’t know. I believe there’s a purpose for the cape. It’s because he looks stylish.’ How do glasses obscure his identity?
“I conveyed that to Tom King. We have this assembly of writers we met with to outline some of the initial phases of the DCU,” Gunn continues. “I mentioned I was frustrated about the glasses. And Tom’s like, ‘There’s a canon reason for the glasses.’ I’m like, ‘There is?’ And he’s like, ‘Yes, they’re hypnotic glasses. It’s Kryptonian glass, and they alter his facial appearance.’ I’m like, ‘Seriously? Well, now that clarifies it for me.’ Hypnotic glasses, now it’s absurd, but it also makes logical sense. That simply derives from providing people a reason to trust he can genuinely pull that off.”
Superman hits theaters this July 11. In the meantime, explore our guides to all the forthcoming DC films and TV series and how to w