Everything We Learned About James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ from Set Visits

Last Summer, a handful of reporters for various outlets were invited to the Superman set to talk with Gunn about the movie. This is a collection of all the important information that was revealed.

Directed by James Gunn, the film aims to restore Superman’s reputation as a symbol of hope and optimism while introducing the character to a new generation. Gunn has expressed a personal connection to Superman’s optimism and moral conviction, which suggests the film will emphasise the hero’s humanity and kindness, ensuring the character feels modern yet timeless. Casting has also fueled anticipation, with David Corenswet set to play Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, promising a dynamic and emotionally resonant partnership at the heart of the story.

Gunn’s track record hints at the introduction of a fresh, nuanced villain in Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult. Superman represents an opportunity to redefine the character for a new era, combining uplifting storytelling with emotional depth, and its success could reestablish Superman as the ultimate superhero while shaping the future of the DC Universe. Whether this film succeeds or fails, the universe will go in the same direction.

What Have We Learnt?

This summer, around June/July (the same time those set photos were coming out!, a handpicked group of reporters from different outlets were invited to visit the set of Superman and talk to James Gunn. It is not clear if he spoke to all of them at once or individually, but a lot of the statements are echoed so we will only be focusing on unique points.

Brandon Davis, one of the biggest reporters on the scene posted the majority of the statements to his X and Youtube accounts. All quotes from Gunn here are taken from his accounts. They were also echoed on the Gizmodo site.

How Will The Action Look?

One of the main things Gunn was asked about, and likely what a lot of fans are wondering, is how the action scenes will look in the movie, on that he states:

“Being able to shoot stuff in the sky… is really hard. So we took a lot from films like Top Gun: Maverick,” Gunn said. “We shoot a lot of our action with actual drones flying in and around Superman and the people that he’s flying with, The Engineer and whoever else that he’s fighting up in the air. And we did that on sound stages. We got these really small, crazy drones now. We’ve got some of the best flyers in the world here who are working with it.”

This quote portrays just how much effort is going into making the action pop on screen. If you want an example on how Gunn is likely to portray Superman’s mega-speed flying, just look at how he handles Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Whilst a lot of fans were rightly worried after recent superhero movies contained an overuse of CGI that even stretched to fight scenes, leading to moments that equated to something right out of a Playstation 3 game, Gunn reassures here that he is keeping the realism look. Whilst the environments and actors will likely be enhanced with CGI since they can’t actually fly and fight at super fast speeds, it is reassuring to know that the details of the actors, such as their reactions or emotions during these moments will be kept intact due to the drones capturing close-up and all-around-perspective footage.

How Does The Movie Start and Over What Time Period Is It Set?

Gunn has been very public about the fact that Superman will not be an origin story, so it is unsurprising that we are going to be dropping right in the heat of an already tense battle brewing in Metropolis. 

“We just start in the middle of the action, Superman already exists. Lois and Clark already know each other. Lex hates Superman’s guts from the beginning, although they don’t know each other personally. So we start right in the middle of the action.” Gunn continued to state that the story will take place over “a short amount of time”

David Corenswet Convinced James Gunn To Keep The Trunks

Superman’s trunks are a part of the iconicity of the character, being a staple of his suit since the earliest iterations. Whilst recent adaptations have shied away from using these, Gunn has embraced them, which fits perfectly with his style of humour and colour that feels as if these classic comics have been brought to life on the screen. However, it wasn’t always something he was always fully on board with. 

“We were trying on all these different versions, and we screen tested with trunks and no trunks,” Gunn explained. “And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes… He’s this incredibly powerful, could be considered scary, individual and he wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that hope that shows that positivity. And that really clicked in for me. And I think trying to pretend that Superman’s costume doesn’t have some frivolity to it at its base, trying to make it look serious, is silly because he is a superhero. He’s the first one, brightly colored and that’s who he is.”

About Clark and Lois’ Relationship

Clark Kent and Lois Lane are one of the most iconic comic book couples, and of all time. Lois’ unwavering support for Clark whether it is at the Daily Planet or whilst he’s fighting crime as Superman as well as helping him out on the ground has always made her a great support to the titular hero. Their relationship has seen many different versions on the screen, and Gunn is claiming that this will be the most different.

“I don’t think it’s something we’ve ever seen in any superhero movie ever.” Gunn stated, before continuing.

“It’s a complicated relationship and we really get into it,” Gunn said. “There’s long scenes that are about their relationship and the way they relate and what it would be like for a person who’s this incredibly intelligent, strong-headed, stubborn, skeptical journalist, to have a relationship with someone who can lift a skyscraper.” and when asked if Lois knows Clark is Superman, he added “Well, we’ll see. She knows who Superman is.”

What About The Gunn Staple Of An Iconic Soundtrack?

Gunn is known for his great taste in music and incorporating iconic songs, typically from the 80s and earlier into his movies and making them an integral part of the story, typically picking ones that have lyrics relating to the plot of the film or linked to the characters in some way. Despite this, Gunn is showcasing just how different Superman will be to his other projects by making it more score-heavy than song-heavy.

“There’s nods to [John] Williams and then also John Murphy’s created this incredibly beautiful score,” Gunn said. “But the one thing is it is a score, it’s not a soundtrack. So it’s not about the songs. There’s a few songs in it. And of course, I chose those songs beforehand, but it isn’t like any of my previous movies really in terms of the score is what drives it. It’s a much, much more of a score film.”

Why The Title Change?

When the film was originally announced, it had a title of Superman: Legacy, which made a lot of sense to fans as this version of the movie had to basically reinvent the character and form a whole new legacy in order to pave the way for the DCU to begin. However, Gunn felt this wasn’t right for the movie due to ‘legacy’ feeling more like it refers to the past than the future.

“I thought maybe the title had a looking back feeling about it,” he said. “And this isn’t about looking back. This is about looking forward. So although when you see the movie you’ll understand where ‘Legacy’ comes from, because it is about Clark and his relationship to his Kryptonian parents and his relationship to his human parents and whose legacy is he really? And so it’s about that. But I think as a title it felt too ‘looking back.’”

What About The Other Heroes?

Superman features a strong lineup of supporting heroes that challenge Superman in the movie, including Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Hawk Girl and Mister Terrific. Whilst it’s unclear exactly what their role will be, it seems their involvement isn’t blink and you’ll miss it according to Gunn.

“I love Mister Terrific,” Gunn said. “These characters all get their moment in the sun. They all have their moments. They’re not just cameos, these are the characters. They’re supporting cast, but Mister Terrific is the main character of those characters. He actually has a big part of the plot. And so that was fun.”

What About Lex?

The big bad of the picture. It has long been said that a hero is only as good as his villain and whilst that isn’t true, it sure helps a lot when the antagonist is as engaging as the protagonist. By getting an actor such as Nicholas Hoult to portray Luthor, a message is already being sent that this will be a more serious and drama-orientated portrayal. Whilst previous versions have seen Lex as an over-the-top billionaire or a know-it-all that reminds you a lot of your neighbour’s kid growing up, Hoult is known for his raw emotion and dramatic range so it would not be surprising if Gunn chose to include this with his iteration of the villain. 

“All-Star Superman… influenced me more than anything,” Gunn said. “Being able to take that sort of Silver Age feel, that sort of science fiction approach to it with gadgets, Lex is really a sort of sorcerer in a way. He’s a scientist, but he’s so good at science and I think of him as like a sorcerer.”

With All These Heroes, Is Superman Even A Standalone Movie?

Due to the large roster and characters beyond even those of the heroes, such as Rick Flag Sr, The Engineer and Krypto, fans were beginning to get worried at how much of the movie actually focused on Clark Kent. With all of these other characters to focus on, how can a substantial amount of time be spent with the main lead? Gunn puts these worries to rest and addresses the concerns head on:

“Everything needs to stand by itself,” he said. “I don’t want somebody to have to go see this movie and be relying on anything else. Now listen, once we get down the line, that may change a little bit.”

He continued, “Are seeds being planted? Yes, there’s seeds being planted, but that is never going to be the predominant thing in any scene for me. It’s always about getting to the next scene. What’s in the moment? How are we making this movie the best we can be? And it’s going to stay like that as much as I can possibly make it like that.”

And there you have it. This is only one interview from the sets that was allowed to be released by press today, more is expected to be released in due time and of course lots of news will arrive as we get closer to the movie’s release date on July 11th, 2025.

Superman is directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo, Wendell Pierce and more. The film hits theatres on July 11th, 2025.

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