James Gunn is on his way to revamp the DCU and in under a year fans will know if he was able to succeed or not. On July 11, 2025, David Corenswet will replace Henry Cavill and take over the mantle of Superman. While there is still a long way to go before the film comes out, James Gunn has confirmed that they have already wrapped up the shoot.
This comes as a pleasant surprise as not often do we get to see such a wide gap between the wrap-up and the release. However, James Gunn has a perfectly valid and honorable reason for this – the convenience of his VFX artists.
James Gunn is Looking Out for his VFX Artists
Over the past couple of years, a ton of VFX artists have spoken up against the rough working conditions over at Marvel Studios. There were complaints about them being overworked for short periods of time and not being compensated enough for their time and hard work.
The VFX crews at Walt Disney Studios even filed to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board, demanding protection from exploitation.
However, James Gunn has decided to do things in a more appropriate and human way with his upcoming film, Superman. On Threads, a user mentioned the mistreatment of VFX artists who were “forced to work with very tight deadlines” to Gunn and added how that led to horrific CGI in films. He then asked if he planned “on taking a different approach with” his DC films.
Gunn, who has always been very active on social media when it comes to replying to fans’ concerns, wasted no time before explaining his approach. He stated that with just a little bit of research, anyone will be able to see how he has always given his VFX artists ample amount of time to finish their work, resulting in great quality CGI.
This dude is allergic to saying the wrong thing
— Kyle Simpson (@KyleSimpson20_) August 18, 2024
He then went on to reveal that Superman’s filming had been wrapped a year before the release, precisely for this reason only. In fact, DCU’s other film, Supergirl, is being handled the same way despite Gunn not directing it.
Well, you might not love the guy, especially if you are a die-hard fan of Zack Snyder’s work in the DCEU, but you gotta admit – he knows how to look out for his employees!
Fans Thank James Gunn and Praise His Work
After fans came across Gunn’s comments on Threads, they were quick to express appreciation for his work in films like Slither and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
User @kaleb_tholen wrote, “For what it’s worth, I just watched Slither a couple nights ago and the VFX still hold up.” Meanwhile, @preston_william stated, “Guardians 3 had me gobsmacked and engaged right from the start because Rocket was so obviously there (and going through some things). Thanks for giving those VFX people your time and your trust.”
In his replies, a ton of people were also thanking him for treating VFX artists with such grace and respect. @jeffzarinelli wrote, “This is true!!! Thank you for what you do and for honoring the creative process in our industry!”
A VFX artist himself left a comment on Gunn’s thread stating,
Speaking as one of those VFX artists, thank you for being one of the seemingly few not throwing us under the bus and pushing the ‘no vfx/everything is practical’ bullsh-t.
When another user assumed things could sometimes be out of Gunn’s hands when it comes to the studio imposing deadlines, the filmmaker assured them that he always takes appropriate measures to ensure things stay in control.
No. Because I’ve always had a script essentially finished months before shooting, always completely storyboarded, and I’ve always insisted we be wrapped in time to do quality visual effects. I wouldn’t make a big film like that without the proper amount of post time.
Since there is a whole year to go before the release of David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan‘s Superman, VFX artists have ample time to work on the film’s CGI. We hope that this results in some of the most jaw-dropping scenes to come out of the superhero genre. After all, Gunn sure has a lot of expectations to fulfill!
Superman will be released in theatres on July 11, 2025.
