Superman (James Gunn, 2025)

[domino harvey]

Gunn confirmed that his Superman film is not an “origin” movie and starts with Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luther already knowing each other. That alone gives me more hope than anything I could possibly see in a trailer

[brundlefly]

Teaser for James Gunn's Superman.

[domino harvey]

Looks like Spiderman 3 with a couple films’ worth of characters in it. I like the superhero dog though

[brundlefly]

I think it's being built to launch a phase of DCU films, so hopefully a lot of pieces are bread crumbs for other movies and don't make it feel overstuffed or necessitate follow-through.

Spoiler

And yes, Krypto was the thing that made me actually want to see it. whattagoodboy.

[willoneill]

At least superficially, Rachel Brosnahan was giving off Margot Kidder vibes, which I dig.

[Mr Sausage]

When the dog showed up, honestly, I thought for a second it was a parody video. I really don't know how I feel about that whole idea.

[Big Ben]

Some part of me thinks he's doing everything he can to separate himself from Zack Snyder's vision of the DC Universe as humanly possible...while also obviously making sure this version is a James Gunn film. Is Krypto the dog any less preposterous than magic rings and flying bird women?

[reaky]

Long, long ago, the conventional wisdom set in that superhero films can’t manage with a single hero and single antagonist. Ever since at least Batman Returns, there’s had to be multiple toy-friendly characters.

[hearthesilence]

Once you've introduced Krypto, you've set up a classic, surefire tearjerker into the movie going back further than Old Yeller, and as cynical as that may be, I can't say I was ever immune to that - as a kid, the saddest thing I ever saw in a comic book was Krypto sacrificing himself to kryptonite in order to help Superman. It was crushing to see them do that to him and for Krypto to more or less die alone with no one at his side during his final moments. (It was less sad when it turned out to be one of those "possible future in the multiverse" shit stories.)

[beamish14]

Krypto is a part of Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman, which is one of the best contemporary runs. That said, I don’t think it will translate to the screen

[A man stayed-put]

The popularity and merchandising success of Rocket and Groot from his Guardians of the Galaxy films may be an influence on the Krypto inclusion.

[knives]

Honestly, given how we have so much from Gunn at this point and even before it was marketable he’s liked the none and reduced verbal sidekick I think we can call it a motif of his.

[A man stayed-put]

That's fair, maybe more it's helped to get that sensibility past the WB execs.
I really like the Guardians films despite not having much time for Marvel/superhero stuff, so interested to see what Gunn does with Superman.
He's juvenile (not meant negatively- its clearly my type of juvenile) in a different way to the previous directors who've had a go.

[cdnchris]

At least superficially, Rachel Brosnahan was giving off Margot Kidder vibes, which I dig.

I still can't get over how Parker Posey was in Superman Returns yet was somehow not cast as Lois Lane.

I haven't been following this, so I was surprised and happy to see Hoult is Lex Luthor. I'm also kinda sold on the dog, but that's because I've only become a dog person in the last few years and I seem to be won over by them very easily now (also, I'm old).

[Mr Sausage]

Gunn’s strength is with ensembles, which is no doubt why the movie seems stuffed with personalities from the comics. But he’s also much better at stories about weirdos, outsiders, and anti-heroes who struggle to find their place or even understand themselves. There is a side of Superman that aligns with that, but also a large part of him—the wholesome, righteous, all-american quality that used to define him—that sits oddly with Gunn’s style of characterization. So I’m really unsure what we’re going to get here.

[dx23]

I loved everything about the trailer. Krypto, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner, Metamorpho, and the fact that there are surprises left. The trailer embodies hope. It also does something that some other superhero films, including animated ones, haven't done and it's embrace the fact that there are many superheros on Earth, so it's stupid for them not to show up when the chaos hits. I'm very much looking forward to Gunn's DCU. So far Creature Commandos has been tons of fun and I expect everything else to follow suit, something that DC definitely needs.

[captveg]

Gunn's on record as saying all characters are about this film first and not about setting up other specific films. Establishing immediately that other powered beings exist in the world already doesn't necessarily mean each character is getting its own follow-up, and the characters he's chosen I feel backs him up on that. I'm hopeful that's indeed the case.

Krypto is not to my tastes for Superman stories, so that's an element that will struggle to win me over. Like many Superman things there's large disagreement within the fanbase over having a super pet in live action. I lean more into the intergalactic scale/Apokolips preferences rather than the whimsical, so I'm not the part of the fandom being targeted here.

On a personal level it's hard to get geared up for a new adaptation when the prior story being told with the character in live action that I was heavily invested in never got it's ending. This film is trying to draw in those who weren't similarly invested in (or straight up put off by) that story, so I hope it delivers for them.

[Matt]

Krypto is nothing. Wait until Gunn introduces Mister Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite!

[domino harvey]

Mister Mxyzptlk

If only Gilbert Gottfried was still with us

[captveg]

Krypto is nothing. Wait until Gunn introduces Mister Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite!

Weirdly enough I can rationalize Mr. Mxyzptlk more than Krypto. Bat-Mite, however....

[dx23]

Wait till we get Beepo

[Matt]

Come to think of it, it's a little bit of a shame nobody's put Bizzaro in a live-action Superman movie.

[jbeall]

The combination of a Krypto appearance and that familiar John Williams score (albeit "trailerized" until it sounds more like a dirge, natch) has me excited. Hearkening back to the Silver Age of comics and the OG Richard Donner-directed* Superman films, both of which I love, is a welcome move away from Zack Snyder's DCUniverse, which I largely did not care for.

*I know, I know.

[salmoness]

Am I crazy to think that the Superman movie has too many things to unpack in just one film, even if it was 3 hours. I think they are squeezing way too many stories but I have hopes because it's James Gunn, his works does pay off indeed.

[knives]

I imagine a lot of it will be incidental or brought in without explanation. Guy Green for instance will probably be just a quick scene.