James Gunn, the director of the new Superman movie, has named the three things that he never wants to see in a superhero movie again.
The 58-year-old, who has directed Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and The Suicide Squad (2021), has admitted that, despite the genre’s success, audiences have become fatigued by seeing the same characters' origin stories over and over again.
“There are three things I don’t ever need to see again in a superhero movie,” Gunn told The Times.
“I don’t need to see pearls in a back alley when Batman’s parents are killed,” he continued. “I don’t need to see the radioactive spider biting Spider-Man. And I don’t need to see baby Kal (Superman) coming from Krypton in a little baby rocket.”
Comparing the tropes to other movies, Gunn added: “We have watched a million movies with characters who don’t have their upbringing explained, like when we see Good Night, and Good Luck, we don’t need to know the early life of Edward R Murrow to explain how he became a journalist. Who cares?”
Elsewhere in the interview, the DC Studios co-CEO explained the themes of his forthcoming film and the inherent political nature of the character.
“I mean, Superman is the story of America,” said Gunn. “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.
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 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.”
Superman will be released in cinemas on 11 July 2025.
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