Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) has high hopes for its "Superman" reboot film, set for theaters this weekend. The film has been years in the making and is a potential relaunch of the DC Comics movie universe, but one former Superman actor is crying foul over the plot.
What Happened: Director James Gunn was announced as the man behind the "Superman" reboot years ago and the man tasked with helping turn DC Comics’ film and TV strategy around.
Gunn's new superhero film is being called "woke" by actor Dean Cain, who famously played Superman in the TV show "Lois & Clark" from 1993 to 1997.
"How woke is Hollywood going to make this character?" Cain told TMZ. "How much is Disney going to change their Snow White? Why are they going to change their characters (to) exist for the times?"
Cain's comments, reported by Variety, come after Gunn shared that Superman is an "immigrant that came from other places and populated the country" in the film, adding that the film represents "the story of America."
"For Superman, it was ‘truth, justice, and the American way.' Well, they dropped that…They came up with ‘truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.' Changing beloved characters I don't think is a great idea. If you want to create a new character go ahead and do that," Cain also said.
Cain went on to criticize America's immigration policies.
"There have to be limits, because we can't have everybody in the United States. We can't have everybody, society will fail. So there have to be limits."
Cain's not the only one speaking out about the film's plot line, in which Superman is portrayed as an immigrant.
Fox News recently referred to the film as "SuperWoke."
Fox News contributor Kellyanne Conway criticized the film’s plot line.
"We don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us," Conway said.
Gunn has brushed off the criticism ahead of the film's July 11 release, telling Variety he doesn't have "anything to say to anybody" spreading hate about his film.
"I think this is a movie about kindness and I think that's something everyone can relate to," Gunn said.
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Why It's Important: The potential boycott of the film by Republicans and public criticism from a former Superman actor could end up hurting the film's box office.
"I think it was a mistake by James Gunn to say it's an immigrant thing, and I think it's going to hurt the numbers on the movie," Cain said.
The film is expected to gross $120 million to $130 million domestically in its opening weekend, according to Variety. The studio has been more conservative with estimates saying it expects $100 million to $110 million.
Early positive reactions from critics and fans could also take the film past $140 million domestically, according to the report. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 82% rating from critics and a 96% rating from early viewers of the film.
The "Superman" film had a $225 million production budget and could also gross $100 million in international markets in its opening weekend.
The last standalone Superman film was "Man of Steel" in 2013. That film grossed $291.0 million domestically with an opening domestic weekend total of $116.6 million. The last film featuring Superman was Justice League, released in 2017, which grossed $229.0 million domestically and opened with $93.8 million.
The best recent Superman film performance is 2016's "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice." That film grossed $330.4 million domestically and opened to a $166.0 million domestic total.
WBD Price Action: Warner Bros. Discovery shares were up 1.4% to $11.65 on Thursday versus a 52-week trading range of $6.64 to $12.76. Warner Bros. stock is up 9.3% year-to-date in 2025.
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