Tag: Superman: Legacy

While the WGA strike might have come as a surprise to some, the possibility of an impending work stoppage has been buzzed about for months. As such, studios have been able to do some advance work on scripts to ensure their completion ahead of the strike. Marvel Studios brought Lee Sung Jin in to touch up Thunderbolts and Nic Pizzolato to work on Blade about a month ago, possibly in hopes they’d be able to complete their work before the strike shut down that particular production arm. While those seem safe, the status of other major productions will remain in limbo for the time being but there is at least one more tentpole that seems to have made the cut.

According to The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez, the first theatrical release on DC Studios new slate, Superman: Legacy, won’t have to wait on a resolution to the contract dispute for a finished script. Gonzalez reports that James Gunn‘s script for the reboot was finalized just days ahead of the strike. Gunn is also directing the film and is in the process of casting ahead of an expected January 2024 start of production.

Gunn’s Superman: Legacy will be based on DC Comics All-Star Superman and will focus on the Man of Steel seeking to balance his “Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing,” according to DC Studios’ co-chair Peter Safran. Gunn has long been a fan of the character and has been working hard to make sure the newest version of the character both lives up to the previous live-action versions and carves its own nice. “Superman is for everyone,” explained Gunn. “That’s [Superman: Legacy] a four-quadrant film that should speak to everyone in the world.”

Superman: Legacy is currently slated to hit theaters July 11, 2025.

Source: The Wrap

As James Gunn closes the door on his time at Marvel Studios, he’s already firmly entrenched in his new job at DC Studios and working hard on bringing the first chapter of the all-new, all-different DCU to life. A major part of that first chapter, Gods and Monsters, is Superman: Legacy, a film that’s being written and directed by Gunn and is slated to hit theaters in the Summer of 2025. Production on that film is reportedly kicking off in Atlanta in January and the search for the next actor to bring Kal-El to life is already underway. While at the world premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Gunn was asked what he’s looking for in his new Superman.

It’s hard but we’re looking and we actually have some really great choices which I’m excited about. It has to be somebody who has all the humanity Superman has but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and compassion that Superman has. And it has to be somebody that you want to give a hug. All the Supermen have been good and so we just have to add to that story.

James Gunn

Just in case that sounds like Gunn is describing Guardians star Chris Pratt, he was quick to confirm that’s not the case; in fact, it sounds increasingly more likely that Gunn will be looking to cast a relative newcomer as Kal-El, rather than an already established Hollywood star. It goes without saying that much of the success of the new DCU will rest on the shoulders of Superman: Legacy and the audience’s perception of the actor portraying the Man of Steel. As Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran took over the future of DC films for Warner Bros. Discovery, they moved on from much of the Snyderverse era of projects, including actor Henry Cavill who portrayed Superman in several of those projects. The new actor will have to live up to audiences’ perception of Cavill’s Superman in addition to Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and others who have forged the live-action legacy of the character.

James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy has consistently been making headlines recently. Gunn recently indicated that he had put together a wishlist of talent for the project and that “early pre-production” on the 2025 release was underway. Now a new report from Heroic Hollywood reveals that the cameras are set to roll on DC Studios’ first theatrical release sooner than expected.

According to the site, Superman: Legacy will kick off principal photography in Atlanta in January 2024. Atlanta has been a hub for superhero projects over the last decade with dozens of Marvel Studios films and streaming series being produced in and around the area. Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Captain America: New World Order are currently filming in Atlanta with Blade on deck.

Gunn described Superman: Legacy as the “launch of the DCU” and co-chair Peter Safran explained that the film will see Superman trying to balance “his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.” A fan of Richard Donner‘s 1978 Superman, Gunn will look to incorporate some of the classic Superman themes that were on display in the film in his Legacy project, according to Safran who said, “Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

Superman: Legacy is set to land in theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: Heroic Hollywood

For fans of Superman, there’s a core group of characters whose stories are hard to separate from the Man of Steel. For better or for worse, Ma and Pa Kent, Lois Lane, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and Lex Luthor are all fairly inextricably connected to Clark Kent. With a new Superman film coming as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new DCU, it’ll be important for Gunn–who is writing and directing Superman: Legacy–to find a way to make the reintroduction of all those characters into the mainstream feel fresh, should he choose to use them. With Gunn recently revealing that he’d begun “early pre-production” on the film and posting a picture of the current script for the film, you can be sure he’s thought through which characters are a must for the first adventure and now he’s revealed who one of them is.

Responding to a fan on Twitter, Gunn revealed that Daily Planet photojournalist and longtime bestie of Superman, Jimmy Olsen will “of course” be in the movie.

Olsen has appeared in multiple Superman-related projects in different mediums over the years. Actors such as Marc McClure, Aaron Ashmore, Mehcad Brooks and Michael Cassidy have all added their own touches to the character with some straying pretty far from the nature of Olsen in the comics. Given that the premise of Gunn’s new film revolves around Superman holding strong to old school values, it’s possible the newest iteration of Olsen might more closely resemble the innocent “Jeepers Mr. Kent” version than the CIA operative. With Gunn noting that he’s put together a list of preferred actors and actresses for the film, the identity of the new Jimmy Olsen may be just around the corner.