James Gunn will serve as both writer and director on the upcoming “Superman: Legacy” film, which will help kickstart the next phase of the DC Extended Universe…
James Gunn was already writing the script to the upcoming “Superman: Legacy” film but now he’ll sit in the director’s chair as well.
The new co-CEO over DC Studios effectively hired himself to handle directing duties on the project, which will help launch the next phase of the planned DC Extended Universe that spans and connects through film, TV and animation. Gunn and fellow co-CEO Peter Safran have laid out an ambitious plan with several movies and TV series that will start to create a more cohesive shared universe at DC, which has struggled to catch up to Marvel Studios in recent years.
The upcoming “Superman: Legacy” film already has a release date on July 11, 2025 and the movie will not serve as an origin story but will feature a slightly younger Man of Steel, which is at least part of the reason why the studio moved on from Henry Cavill in that same role. A new actor will be cast to play Superman but that process hasn’t started just yet.
According to Gunn, he was actually offered the chance to direct a “Superman” film years ago but he just didn’t have the right idea to tackle the project. This time around it appears Gunn is ready to run faster than a speeding bullet to bring this particular “Superman” story to life.
I lost my Dad almost three years ago. He was my best friend. He didn’t understand me as a kid, but he supported my love of comics and my love of film and I wouldn’t be making this movie now without him.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 15, 2023
Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 15, 2023
With Gunn writing and directing the film, it seems likely that he’ll start the casting process in the somewhat near future with production likely starting in late 2023 or early 2024. Gunn is also putting together “Peacemaker” season 2, although there’s no word on when that might get released.
More details about the project will be released in the coming months.
As for the shared DC Universe, Gunn will now turn his attention to several more feature films due out in 2023 including “Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” which drops on Friday and then “The Flash” with Ezra Miller, which will reset the entire DC Extended Universe when that film comes out on June 16.
