For many of us, there is no beating the classic John Williams score for the 1978 Superman movie; that’s simply what we hear when we think of the Man of Steel flying through the air. That may be the case for James Gunn as well, as we got our first listen to what chould be the Superman theme for his new take on the classic superhero, and it sure sounds like it took a lot of inspiration from Williams’ theme.
We first heard the new Superman theme in an announcement video about the first official teaser for Gunn’s new Superman movie premiering on Thursday, December 19. There’s no footage, just the first poster for the movie, featuring an effect that makes it look like Superman is flying through the air, accompanied by the theme.
You can listen to the new Superman theme yourself right here:
Now that is obviously not the same theme that John Williams created for the 1978 Superman movie (a movie we list among the 100 best movies of all time). A bit of female vocalization carries what we hear, certainly creating an otherworldly, almost hauntingly beautiful melody. But many are likely to recognize that melodic hums of the new theme, composed by John Murphy, are very reminiscent of the classic Superman theme created by Williams. You can listen to the original here.
To be honest, I’m not mad about it. Gunn is no dummy, he likely knows that whatever theme they came up with it was going to be compared to that of Williams, so why not pay an homage to the master maestro. The new theme is different enough yet also familiar, a balance that many fans are usually striving for. And just a reminder, this is just a quick snippet of the score that they chose to tease fans with, there’s almost certainly going to be more on the way that could be plenty different.
Jame’s Gunn Superman is set to premiere in movie theaters on July 11, 2025, with David Corenswet putting on the cape in the dual role of Clark Kent/Superman. He’ll be joined in the cast by Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and a supporting group that includes Skyler Gisondo, Wendell Pierce, Anthony Carrigan, Edi Gatheig, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced.
Superman is set to be the first live action movie in Gunn’s attempt to launch a connected DC Universe that spans both movies and TV; his first official project is the animated series Creature Commandos that is streaming on Max.
What do you guys think of the first tease of the new Superman theme and how excited are you to get the first look at Gunn’s Superman later this week?
