James Gunn is busier than ever and for good reason too. The director has taken a new approach toward building anew the familiar DC universe that houses familiar characters with familiar backstories and yet holds such incredible potential that it would be a waste not to exploit that infamous “brain of a mad genius” aka James Gunn and use it to bring forth a new generation of superheroes into being. Fortunately for us, the director plans on doing exactly that with his plans for Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.
Also read: James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy Makes Final Move to End Henry Cavill’s $50M Superman Career
James Gunn Sheds Light on His Plans For Superman: Legacy
After the mishandling of Henry Cavill‘s return and the announcement of Superman: Legacy, the infinite questions that have haunted the co-CEO of DC Studios were all aimed at figuring out what the future would look like. James Gunn finally has an answer or at least the inkling of one as he sits down with Variety to reveal the idea that went behind the script of the 2025 film.
“I don’t think the movie would be worth making if it was just a redo of any other Superman adaptation… For us to truly thrive as a studio, we need to honor the past of these characters while simultaneously seeing them in a new light.”
Luckily for Gunn, seeing characters in a new light while sticking true to their past is a skill that fits right up his alley. Considering how the Peacemaker director has always had a knack for the extraordinary, it would make sense for him to introduce the familiar world and story of Superman in a way that breaks free of the typecast stories that have defined the Kryptonian through the decades.
It would also make sense if Gunn plans on redefining the character by the opponent that he goes up against. Almost like Matt Reeves‘ Batman, the Legacy story will start young and find its protagonist being shaped by forces and events that may well be strange for the hero’s first outing (albeit not as dark as Pattinson’s gothic arc).
Why Superman: Legacy Needs to Avoid the Errors of DCEU
It is not every day that one gets to hear about the remaking of an entire universe. It is even rarer to witness the brick-by-brick dismantling of the past and the rebuilding of a new world in its place. In April 2022, an idea was conceived when David Zaslav stepped in and took a wrecking ball to the foundations of the past. 9 months later, the DCU was born when James Gunn announced the blueprints of Chapter 1 in January 2023. And what better way to begin a new era than the blinding beacon of light and hope?
James Gunn, who declared he would pen the script of the first film, knew exactly the caliber of wrongs that can be committed (intentionally or inadvertently) with one small misstep. Now burdened with the knowledge of how the past DCEU went spectacularly off-track, how an entire narrative arc can be derailed despite holding such potential, and most importantly, what to avoid when trying to retell the saga of one of the world’s oldest superheroes, James Gunn’s promise of not redo-ing the story of Superman is one in a step of many in the right direction.
Superman: Legacy premieres on July 11, 2025.
Source: Variety
