In what appears to have been either an accidental revelation or a misunderstanding, a DC Comics author revealed during a video podcasting session that DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn will indeed both write and direct the upcoming 2025 franchise reboot film Superman: Legacy as the first official theatrical launch of the new DCU cinematic brand.
Teaser image for “Superman: Legacy”
Source: DC Studios, art by Steve Beach
First, here is how the possible revelation transpired…
Writer Tom King was being interviewed by Sal Crivelli on the fan show Comic Pop in an episode originally posted online today, discussing his work on the upcoming DC Comics Wonder Woman comic book series in a company event called “Dawn of DC.” At one point, King mentions he’s been part of a group of writers who speak with James Gunn about the upcoming DCU movie projects, and he mentions Gunn is both writing and directing Superman: Legacy.
But as I said in the opener, we don’t yet know the validity of the information and there are several things to consider about how and why it happened. So I’ll address the “misunderstanding” and other such aspects of how and why the revelation was made in the first place, after we just look at the claim itself first and address the idea that Gunn will be directing Superman: Legacy.
While the public statement is newsworthy as the first time anyone linked to the company or projects has confirmed Gunn as director for Superman: Legacy, we’ve all known this was the likely plan and some of us repeatedly mentioned it in previous reporting, so it’s not exactly a surprise. Indeed, some of us would have been more surprised if Gunn had not directed it.
However, I must admit that I did wonder if he might actually be more interested in directing Batman and the bat-family in The Brave and the Bold, and thus decide to hire someone else for the Superman franchise relaunch. The fact The Brave and the Bold is inspired by Grant Morrison’s writing in the comics, and Gunn mentioned Morrison’s Superman writing as inspiring/influencing Superman: Legacy as well as saying Morrison’s Batman stories were among his favorites.
The chance to build an entire larger bat-world full of the strange characters and villains, fantasy and sci-fi (and no doubt a bit of horror) walking arm in arm on Gotham’s streets, and to really dig deep into the nuances of the Bruce-Damien relationship, as well as the larger ensemble storytelling possible in this approach to the franchise, all sounds like precisely the sorts of things that would greatly appeal to Gunn as a director, at least in theory if he was deciding which project to helm.
Which is not to say I expected Gunn to choose The Brave and the Bold over Superman: Legacy to direct. I fully believed the most likely scenario was for Gunn to write and direct Legacy as the new foundation for the DCU envisioned in this new plan. But if anything were going to tempt Gunn away from Legacy as director, I figured it had to be either The Brave and the Bold or The Authority.
If The Authority is far enough down the road, then I still think Gunn might take on that project as both writer and director, too. It’s merely the ability to focus on completing Superman: Legacy and the potential proximity to development for The Brave and the Bold that I feel creates a possible either-or choice.
Anyway, the point being, Gunn always seemed likely to direct Superman: Legacy and now it seems like we might have confirmation of that.
I say “might” because now we need to talk about how this information became public, and the circumstances around it that create uncertainty.
After King’s interview was posted on YouTube, online fan sites and entertainment sites began reporting the revelation, and word spread quickly on social media. But then something odd happened — the episode was pulled offline and there’s been nary a peep about it so far from those involved or from DC Studios.
It’s possible King did exactly what it seems — accidentally mentioned something he thought was already public knowledge, and if so he probably saw all of the constant mention about Gunn writing and likely directing Superman: Legacy and assumed it had been announced or otherwise broken as news.
But on the other hand, King might simply have seen some of those earlier headlines and seen folks discussing it online as if it was assumed Gunn would direct, and King himself might have assumed it was true even if it wasn’t.
It’s important to note that just because Gunn reached out to King and other DC writers about ideas and plans for the development of the new DCU, that doesn’t at all mean King was specifically told or otherwise aware of inside information about Gunn directing the film. He may simply have had enough inside info to know the studio generally wants Gunn to direct it, that Gunn himself was considering it and might prefer it, and that everyone assumed it was going to happen in the public sphere, so in casual conversation he just referenced it out of assuming it was true and that people pretty much knew it already.
Consider, too, that even if it turns out it’s true that Gunn is directing Legacy as we all assumed he was, that still doesn’t mean King knowingly gave away inside information he was privy to. The accuracy of the claim itself isn’t dependent on King being factually aware, so until we hear official word from King and/or Gunn, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about how or why it transpired or whether it’s certainly true.
Big point to remember here — things can change, this is Hollywood so any unofficial plan is always up for change on a dime, so until it’s confirmed by Gunn, I’d remind everyone to just slow their roll on assuming these types of things are true unti we know for sure what happened and get formal word.
On the other hand, how many times have we found out inside information due to leaks? A lot. How often does it happen accidentally? Not infrequently, to be honest. And would the show be pulled without comment if it wasn’t because there’s some truth to it? Mmm, seems unlikely. So at face value this looks like an accidental reveal.
But what do I think if Gunn does wind up directing Superman: Legacy, you ask? I’d be ecstatic, of course, because he’s an exceptional filmmaker and I’ve literally loved every movie he’s made, and his films particularly speak to me on personal levels in a way other superhero films usually don’t. So if Gunn directs Legacy, I’m all for it.
I’ll keep watching the situation and update you if and when we get more info, dear readers, to stay tuned and be sure to check back here again soon. Meanwhile, hop over to see my picks for the best casting options to play the new Superman.
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