The superhero genre has been dominating the entertainment industry for a number of years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is definitely Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which is expected to be James Gunn’s final installment in the shared universe. After all, Gunn was recently named co-CEO of the DC Universe. But will he be able to tonally pull off a Superman movie? He explained why it will be more difficult to film than GOTG.
On top of running the shared universe, Gunn is also directing and writing Superman: Legacy, which had its script completed ahead of the writer’s strike. The visionary multihyphenate previously turned down the chance to helm a Superman movie because he didn’t have a take on the character. But now he does, and Gunn recently spoke to THR about that upcoming project. He revealed that it won’t feature the snark and quirky comedy of his previous comic book projects, and instead will be a sincere take on the Last Son of Krypton. The Suicide Squad filmmaker opened up about the pressure of his project, saying:
It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them. People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman.
That sounds about right. Gunn did the impossible with Guardians of the Galaxy, making a motley crew of unknown heroes into some of the most beloved figures in the entire MCU. He did the same thing with some of the line-up of The Suicide Squad, as well as his Peacemaker spinoff series that was available for those with a HBO Max subscription. But taking on the Man of Steel is going to be another task entirely.
Later in that same interview with THR, which was promoting the release of Guardians 3 this weekend, Gunn further explained the process that went into him deciding to write and direct Superman: Legacy. His inner dialogue went something like this:
How can I make it different from the Superman movies that have been made so far, but also have it respect all the Superman movies that have been made so far? So it just took me some time to try to figure it out.
Well, I’m certainly intrigued. James Gunn has been on a serious roll lately, and has shown his ability to tell unique, moving stories within the comic book genre. And while his next DC flick won’t be able to lean on his signature snarky sense of humor, he found a way to bring something new to the table, while also honoring who Superman is as a character. Suddenly I’m feeling less bummed about Henry Cavill’s departure as the character.
Gunn and Peter Safran are planning the next decade of DC projects, spanning TV, movies, and video games. Their goal seems to be making a more connected shared universe, and it should be fascinating to see which characters stay and which go.
James Gunns’ Guardians of the Galaxy 3 hits theaters on May 5th, and Superman: Legacy is exempted to follow suit July 11th, 2025. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
