James Gunn’s Next DCU Movie to Include Superman

On the heels of the success of Superman, James Gunn has confirmed that the character will have a pivotal role in his next movie, which won’t be a direct Superman sequel

Lewis Huckle July 21, 2025

In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz, James Gunn reaffirmed his previous statements that we would be seeing Superman again sooner rather than later and that his next main appearance would be in a pseudo-sequel, meaning not a Superman 2 but more likely a team-up movie of some kind.

Many speculated that this would likely be World’s Finest and see the team-up of DC’s most iconic heroes – Batman and Superman. However, Gunn commented that this is not the case and also subtly shut down further speculation that it would be a Justice League movie in a spoiler-filled interview with Entertainment Weekly.

When asked if the Justice Gang is the pathway to seeing the Justice League appear in the future, Gunn stated: “Yeah, I think you could say that. I don’t know why not, but I wouldn’t jump the gun with thinking that’s going to happen tomorrow.”, implying that we will not be seeing the iconic League anytime soon.

This then leads to speculation that James Gunn’s next DCU movie, that he will direct, which is not a direct Superman sequel, could be Superman & Supergirl.

James Gunn’s Next DCU Movie to Include Superman — *Superman* / Image Courtesy of DC Studios

Clark Kent was raised on Earth with humanity as his foundation, while Kara Zor-El, especially in the Woman of Tomorrow comic, is more hardened and is shaped by loss and survival. A team-up movie would allow these contrasts to play out on screen

DC has historically rushed into large team-ups without proper character setup. A Superman & Supergirl film allows the characters to come together and provides a contained but high-stakes opportunity to show how DC can do team storytelling right. Less like Batman v Superman and using it to introduce more characters; more like Captain America: Civil War, where the story is still personal but opens up the world meaningfully.

*The Authority* / Image Courtesy of DC Comics

In the same interview with Josh Horowitz, Gunn talks about the rough writing process for The Authority and states that the writer of the movie has moved onto something else, which he is doing a good job on.

However, before Gunn says “he”, he begins to say “I-” and has to cut himself off, seemingly revealing that he was the one writing the screenplay for The Authority and couldn’t crack it, leading him to move on to this next movie.

Storylines involving these characters have involved extreme political commentary. Staying true to their DNA might require a more mature rating, which limits box office reach and makes it harder to tie into more family-friendly entries like Superman or Green Lantern. Gunn is known for pushing boundaries, but blending these tones cohesively within a shared universe is tough.

This might be something they are able to tap into later, but when a new universe is just beginning and trying to appeal to the mainstream audience, going into these niche and disturbing characters might be too far – which is probably why Gunn struggled to make it work and find the right balance with the DCU he has already established.