It was rumored for a while, but we now have confirmed that James Gunn will direct Superman: Legacy, the soft relaunch of DC Studios.
Gunn was already penning the script but recently decided he was the right fit to bring this new Superman movie to life. In a recent Twitter Thread, Gunn says, “it has been a long road to this point. I was offered Superman years ago – 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 opened up about the hard choice to helm this project. Gunn tweets, “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,” before adding, “But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”
The filmmaker also opened up about the release, set for July 11th, and says it calls back to something personal. Gunn recalled, “My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date, he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, “Dude, it’s Dad’s birthday.” I hadn’t realized.”
With the story, Gunn claims the idea came to him less than a year ago, giving him a point of view. The filmmaker says, “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.”
The official description of Superman: Legacy describes “the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
The film will head into theaters worldwide on July 11, 2025.
