Despite the enduring popularity of its title character, James Gunn’s “Superman” has always felt like something of a risk … but, oddly enough, that’s a fitting position for the Big Blue Boy Scout to be in. It’s fair to say that the “Aw shucks” goodness of Superman can seem a bit outdated in the year 2025, at a time when real-life heroes are pretty difficult to come by. Audiences could be forgiven for feeling a little jaded about the idea of good triumphing over evil and the world uniting behind an aspirational figure who simply does the right thing because, well, it’s the right thing to do. But for every potential drawback for a movie like this, those very same qualities could be exactly what we need right now.
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That’s the tone that Gunn, DC Studios co-head Peter Safran, the cast, and the rest of the creative team of “Superman” are clearly trying to set with the latest behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming blockbuster (which was released by Warner Bros. earlier today). There’s plenty of admiration and respect shown towards Richard Donner’s original “Superman” film, a romantic sense of nostalgia for the role the titular comic book character has played in the lives of countless fans, and even star David Corenswet expressing some geeky love over Superman finally wearing the bright red trunks. Say what you will about the most recent “Superman” extended preview and the somewhat divisive reactions to the throwback look and feel of the movie, but DC Studios is clearly working overtime to sell audiences on a character that has often struggled to reach the same box office heights as Batman and especially its Marvel Studios rivals.
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Is this fresh insight into the vision behind “Superman” enough to get you off the fence and firmly on the movie’s side? Check out the footage above and decide for yourself. Oh, and pay extra close attention — you’ll notice a few never-before-seen looks at various other characters populating the film, too.
Expect Superman to be a movie with heart, hope, and new beginnings
What’s going to make “Superman” stand out from the rest of the superhero pack when it finally flies into theaters later this year? For casual viewers and hardcore fans alike, the “Superman” creative team is selling a vision of a whole new universe birthed from this film, filled with DC heroes already in existence (and known to the public) and an old-fashioned sense of morals that might very well be appealing after years of seeing darker, more conflicted takes on the titular character. Gunn kicks off the featurette by describing his reverence for Richard Donner’s 1978 classic, saying, “Being a child, I loved the purity of ‘Superman.’ It was a time when I was starting to understand what movies were.” But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a struggle to figure out exactly how to approach a rebooted film adaptation for Warner Bros. After fellow DC Studios lead Peter Safran describes the doubts Gunn had, the writer/director reveals:
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“I had been trying to crack it for years. This character’s noble, and he’s beautiful. […] Superman is a character who’s good.”
Could it really be as simple as that? Honestly, it could. The rest of the behind-the-scenes clip includes various videos and interviews taken from the “Superman” production, showing off the film’s massive scope and the ensemble cast of characters that will be aiding (and complicating) Superman on his adventure. Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, and David Corenswet have nothing but high praise for Gunn’s vision and the need for a hero like Superman, while we also get tantalizing glimpses of Isabela Merced fully suited up as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag, Sr., Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific, and many more.
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We’re counting down the days until “Superman” flies into theaters on July 11, 2025.
