James Gunn is officially making Superman: Legacy his next directorial vehicle. Gunn has been writing the feature since before he became the co-head of DC Studios in November, and it was widely expected he would direct, though it was unclear given his duties overseeing the expanding DC slate with partner Peter Safran.
Superman: Legacy will be the first big-screen feature of the Gunn-Safran era. Warner Bros. has the project dated for July 11, 2025.
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned,” Safran told reporters in late January.
On Wednesday, Gunn explained that he hesitated to take on a Superman movie, even though he was offered the character before ultimately taking on The Suicide Squad for Warners. “I initially said no because I didn’t have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved,” Gunn wrote on Twitter. “Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes.”
Even after deciding to write, he was hesitant to direct. Explained the filmmaker: “Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude. But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”
Notably, this Superman will not by played by Henry Cavill, the actor who portrayed the superhero in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), and who appeared in a cameo in last year’s Black Adam. While Cavill believed he wwould be wearing the cape for more films, after Gunn and Safran took over DC, it became apparent they would be going in a younger direction for the hero.
