‘Superman: Legacy’ Now in Pre-Production, James Gunn Confirms
James Gunn has officially announced that DC Studios started on Tuesday early pre-production on Superman: Legacy.
Gunn, in addition to overseeing the movie as co-head of DC Studios, is the sole writer and director of the film, which is targeting a July 11, 2025, theatrical release. He said during the presentation of the first wave of DC Studios projects in late January that they would be giving more weight to the writers and having their stories told in order than other competing studios, and they would be moving release dates if necessary before moving forward with a script that isn’t fully finished.
This gives us a hint that the script must be close to locked at this point, with only small revisions pending, at most. (On the other side of the street, Marvel has become famous for rushing projects into production when the third act isn’t even written, and figuring it out as they go, which then causes even more headaches for the VFX teams working on the movies.) Gunn has probably been working closely with a production designer for a few months to figure out the look of the film, and possibly a costume designer as well.
Casting agencies have also been fed general guidelines for the lead character that is about to become one of the most contested roles in Hollywood. According to reporter Jeff Sneider on The Hot Mic podcast, Gunn would be looking into an actor in his early-to-mid 20s to play the part; while no actor has been tapped yet, it’s likely that Gunn wrote the film with at least one name in mind to serve as inspiration. These searches typically take several months, but since they probably started well before Gunn moved into the proofreading phase on the script, it’s possible that by July they will have signed the actor, so an announcement at San Diego Comic-Con is not entirely out of the question. (His costume could potentially be ready by then as well.)
For the film to hit its July 2025 release date, cameras will probably have to start rolling before the end of the year. Plot details are being kept close to the chest, but Sneider also confirmed recently that the story involves Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor. All three, combined with Clark Kent, will be played by actors that will be looking into a multiple-year commitment with DC Studios, as the company intends to create an overarching storyline that, for now, spans 8-10 years and many projects. So far, we know about 10 of them, but that is only the first wave of Chapter 1 (titled “Gods and Monsters”).
Superman: Legacy will be the first theatrical film and the big start of the new DCU. The Authority will be the next one in line if plans don’t change. Other feature films coming out include Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Swamp Thing, which James Mangold is directing.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
