James Gunn reveals more about the direction of Superman: Legacy

James Gunn has spoken out on Threads to clear up misunderstandings on the direction of his upcoming superhero movie Superman: Legacy.

Director Gunn says we shouldn’t be thinking of Legacy as a movie focused on “young” Superman, impressions that may have arisen from Gunn taking on the younger-looking David Corenswet as Superman.

“I was never making a “young Superman” movie, just a Superman movie!” Gunn wrote on Threads.

Henry Cavill, 40, was our last Superman. David Corenswet is currently 30, hardly a baby, but he does have a somewhat younger-looking face than Cavill did a decade ago thanks to his softer features and slightly less girder-like jawline.

Gunn has also said previously that Superman Legacy would “focus on an earlier part of Superman’s life,” around the time it was announced Cavill would not return to the role.

However, it has also been confirmed that this is not a classic origin story. The often repeated line is Superman: Legacy sees the character juggling his Kryptonian heritage with his upbringing on Earth.

Superman: Legacy release date

There’s still plenty of time to figure out what that means, though, as Superman: Legacy is not due out until July 2025.

Gunn also reportedly managed to finish the film’s script just before the WGA writer’s strike began at the beginning of May 2023, a crucial part in keeping the proposed release date realistic.

Of course, actually getting to the shooting part will rely on the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike coming to an end. In a Wired Autocomplete interview, Gunn said the plan was to begin shooting in January 2024.

There’s a superhero-like burden on this film’s shoulders too. It will mark the true start of the new era of DC, the reboot of the DC universe under the stewardship of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

DC needs it too. Despite earning surprisingly strong reviews, Blue Beetle pulled in just $25 million from the US box office on its opening weekend, towards the lower end of already-gloomy pre-release estimates.

This makes it the lowest grossing opening weekend for DC for a decade bar Wonder Woman 1984, released in the thick of the covid pandemic. However, it’s not all that surprising when much of the audience who might once have flocked to an Avengers film was left wondering who Blue Beetle is exactly. Superman doesn't have that problem.

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