James Gunn Wraps SUPERMAN, First Movie in His DC Universe
By Movieguide® Contributor
James Gunn thanked Cleveland for being such a great host while filming took place in the city and revealed that the shoot for the movie has almost been completed.
“Today we are leaving you (Cleveland) after six amazing weeks of shooting,” Gunn wrote on social media. “From the moment we first came here on a scout a tad less than a year ago and Terminal Tower was lit up with the colors of Superman, I knew you were a special place. I would walk down your streets and someone would stop me and tell me how grateful they were we were shooting in their city – not once, not twice, but dozens of times.
“The wonderful background actors on the film were always so fun and funny and they clapped after takes, something that reminded us Hollywood cynics why we make movies in the first place,” Gunn continued. “The pride you feel in being the city where Jerry and Joe first created Superman was invigorating. You exemplify his spirit. But just as much it’s the pride you have in your community, your hometown, your radio stations and restaurants and gathering places that touched me.”
“Every city would be so lucky to have people that loved their city as much as you do,” Gunn concluded his post. “You simply can’t have been more wonderful, kind or accommodating to me and our performers and crew. Thank you a thousand times over for being our friends and partners on this film. Much love to you all. ??♂️❤️”
SUPERMAN, formerly called SUPERMAN: LEGACY began production in February. In the comments of his post, Gunn revealed that the movie only has a few weeks left of filming before it enters post-production.
The movie serves as the pilot project for the Gunn-led DC universe. He plans on revitalizing the franchise and hopes he can create a universe even better than Marvel’s through long-term thinking from the start.
“A lot of people think it’s going to be Marvel 2.0, and definitely I learned a lot of stuff at Marvel. I think that we have a lot of differences,” Gunn said in January. “We are telling a big, central story that is like Marvel, except for, I think that we’re a lot more planned out than Marvel from the beginning because we’ve gotten a group of writers together to work that story out completely.”
SUPERMAN is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
Movieguide® previously reported:
During a Q&A on Threads, James Gunn clarified fans’ questions about his upcoming SUPERMAN movie, including parts of its plot and where it falls within the DC universe.
While Gunn is keeping specifics about the movie under wraps, he shared that it will differ from the superhero’s traditional story. Rather than rehashing old plots, Warner Bros. has called the movie a “workplace origin story.”
This step in a new direction mirrors the plan for the DC universe, as SUPERMAN will kick off a new era for DC. Rather than building off previous movies, the Gunn-led universe will stand alone from other DC storylines. DC will also continue to produce movies outside of Gunn’s canon, such as THE BATMAN II, a sequel to the 2022 Oscar nominee.