James Gunn has said his Superman is the story of an “immigrant that came from other places” and of “basic human kindness”.
The DC Studios co-CEO explained the themes of his forthcoming film Superman in a new profile and the inherent political nature of the superhero.
“I mean, Superman is the story of America,” Gunn told The Sunday Times. “An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
Starring David Corenswet as the titular Superman, Gunn’s iteration of the iconic DC hero also features Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as the villainous Lex Luther.
The cast also includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.
Gunn acknowledged that the film may be received differently among diverse political groups, but added that at the core of the film lay “human kindness”.
“Yes, it plays differently,” he said. “But it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.”
On whether Superman was political, Gunn said it was, but it also aimed to start a conversation about morality.
“Yes, it’s about politics. But on another level it’s about morality,” the Guardians of the Galaxy director said. “Do you never kill no matter what – which is what Superman believes – or do you have some balance, as Lois believes? It’s really about their relationship and the way different opinions on basic moral beliefs can tear two people apart.”
“This Superman does seem to come at a particular time when people are feeling a loss of hope in other people’s goodness,” the filmmaker added. “I’m telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now because there is a meanness that has emerged due to cultural figures being mean online.”
Fans previously hailed the return of popular Superman character Krypto the Superdog when the first trailer for the new film was released, who featured in the comics as Superman’s canine companion.
Gunn shared previously how adopting his own rescue dog shaped the script for Superman.
“When I first adopted Ozu, I was starting to write the Superman script,” said Gunn. “Ozu was such a terrible, uncontrollable dog – tearing up our entire house – I thought, ‘What if he had superpowers? We'd be screwed.’ And thus, the filmic Krypto was born. He really just gave the script that unusual aspect that made it fun to write.”
Gunn added that the cinematic Krypto was designed to resemble Ozu, using CGI technology and reference videos.
Superman will be released in cinemas on 11 July 2025.
