James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy” Will Begin Filming in Early 2024
James Gunn has revealed that his hotly-anticipated Superman: Legacy will begin filming in January 2024. In a conversation with Wired, Gunn answered a slew of questions about the future of DC Studios, which he co-heads along with Peter Safran, and the sweeping changes they’ve made in an effort to create a completely unified DCU. Superman: Legacy will be the first feature released from their new DC Studios, which Gunn wrote and will direct. It’ll boast a new actor in the role of Clark Kent and a new future for the character and the studio.
Gunn recently announced that Superman: Legacy had already begun pre-production, so the January 2024 start date for production means that, as Gunn promised, the new DCU will move at a pace conducive to putting the best possible movie together rather than rushing to make pre-determined release dates (although Superman: Legacy currently does have a release date pegged for July 11, 2025). The idea he and Safran are pursuing is to make sure every new film and series in their unified DCU puts the script first, and then, when that’s in order, the march toward production begins.
It’s an interesting time at DC Studios, not just because we’re witnessing a major seachange in leadership and the way they’re approaching building a new unified universe but also because there are still three films pending release that were produced before Gunn and Safran came on board. The first and the one people are already extremely enthused about (including Gunn himself) is The Flash, which bows on June 23. After that, there’s Blue Beetle (August 18) and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 20). Once Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry has made his second big splash, DC fans will be waiting for Superman: Legacy to begin the new era of DC Studios.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Clark Kent in his own movie. Superman: Legacy will be the first new stand-alone Superman film since Zack Snyder’s 2013 Man of Steel, which, of course, starred Henry Cavill, who went on to portray Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) and had a brief cameo in Black Adam (2022).
Although Gunn is well-known for his offbeat sensibility and love of the oddball superhero—his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and The Suicide Squad film as prime examples—Superman: Legacy will find him playing it straight. Here’s how his co-chief Peter Safran described Superman: Legacy after he and Gunn unveiled the first part of their DC Studios slate: “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned.”
A James Gunn film centered on kindness and a character who, despite being an alien, is also an earnest and soulful young man trying to do good in the world? Yeah, that’ll be wild.
Check out the full interview with Gunn here:
For more on DC Studios, check out these stories:
Michael Keaton’s Batman Fights General Zod in New “The Flash” Teaser
First “The Flash” Reactions From CinemaCon: One of The Greatest Superhero Films of All Time
Epic New “The Flash” Trailer Reveals Michael Keaton’s Batman Getting Nuts
James Gunn Announces Pre-Production Has Begun on “Superman: Legacy”
Featured image: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 18: Director James Gunn attends the press conference for “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3” at the Conrad Hotel on April 18, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
