The superhero genre has been going through some exciting changes lately, specifically the start of the new DC Universe. Co-CEO James Gunn has been doing some methodical world building with the first projects of Chapter 1, titled Gods and Monsters. The first movie was Superman (which is streaming now with a HBO Max subscription), and Gunn revealed the clever way he made Clark Kent actor David Corenswet look taller.
Corenswet led the Superman cast, bringing the title character's hope and humanity to the big screen. He definitely has the right look, including Superman's signature hair curl. In the director's commentary, Gunn revealed how he made sure that Clark Kent loomed above his fellow denizens of Metropolis. In the filmmaker's words:
This is a scene in which we see how big David Corenswet is. One of the reasons we can see how big he is is because I got all extras who were I think 5'6 or under. So we highlighted how large he was on the streets.
Well, my mind is blown. This is a simple strategy, but one that definitely paid off for those of us who saw Superman in theaters (or streaming from home). When he was shown in the street walking into the Daily Planet, he loomed above the background actors. Not even Clark's hypno glasses could hide just how tall he was in that sequence.
James Gunn is an accomplished filmmaker who has proven his ability to bring comic book stories to life with both heart and action. His tenure on the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) showed this, as well as The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. And along the way he found some simple but effective ways to make actors look comic book accurate.
It's awesome hearing Gunn's perspective on making Superman, and the practical ways he captured the first movie in the DCU. The commentary also saw him defending the controversial Superman parents twist, where Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van were revealed to have sent Kal-El to Earth so he could conquer it and continue the Kryptonian blood line.
Superman was a hit at the box office, as well as with critics. Gunn has definitely impressed fans who watched the DC movies in order, as his new shared universe has already had more shared storytelling than the DCEU. Despite only having three projects out (Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2), we've seen a ton of crossovers. That includes Lex Luthor's surprise cameo in the last Peacemaker episode.
Superman is streaming on HBO Max now, and the next upcoming DC movie heading to theaters is Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And you can trust I'll be watching the director's commentary on that project as well.
