James Gunn Is Taking No Chances on ‘Superman’: Tom Cruise Is a Major Inspiration for the Man of Steel This Time

The world of movies has all sorts of genres and styles of filmmaking, and sometimes two different genres can inspire each other in a way that would give a fresh take to the characters. It seems like a similar thing happened with James Gunn’s upcoming Superman and one of Tom Cruise’s recent movies.

Superman has been a familiar figure both on and off-screen for decades now, and it becomes tough to bring something new with each on-screen adaptation. Gunn took on this challenge and took some inspiration from Cruise, whose movies have always set a benchmark when it comes to action.

How James Gunn took inspiration from Tom Cruise for Superman

James Gunn is popular for his unique take on superhero movies, be it his MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy or his earlier DC movies like The Suicide Squad. The style of action and the look of those movies set them apart from a quite saturated superhero landscape.

Now, the co-CEO of DC Studios is bringing David Corenswet as Superman, and fans have already laid many expectations for the movie. It will not only be the first live-action movie of the DCU, but it will also bring an iconic character on screen that has already been portrayed many times before.

To give it a different look, Gunn took an innovative approach. In a recent interview with Collider, he revealed getting inspired by Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick’s action sequences. Gunn said,

Being able to shoot stuff in the sky like that is really hard. So we took a lot from films like Top Gun: Maverick… We shoot a lot of our action with actual drones flying in and around Superman and the people that he’s flying with, Engineer, whoever else, that he’s fighting up in the air. And we did that on sound stages.

Gunn’s approach feels similar to how Top Gun: Maverick was filmed. Director Joseph Kosinski wanted to capture the feeling of being in a real-life fighter jet and focused more on in-camera effects rather than CGI and VFX. He used IMAX cameras in cockpits to capture that authenticity.

Similarly, Gunn used drones to capture the footage and real-life effects of flying and changing directions at high speeds, which can be later incorporated during Superman’s flight scenes. 

James Gunn’s unorthodox vision for Superman setting up DCU’s future projects

In today’s superhero scenario, every installment is made with the hope of setting up the future of its franchise. Even when MCU was building up, every single movie was leaving plotlines that would lead to another movie. Although Superman is expected to build a foundation for DCU’s future, Gunn took a different approach.

In his Collider interview, when Gunn was asked how much of Superman will set up future installments, he replied,

Zero.. I mean, maybe two little things, two moments, but basically if something’s there just to set up something else, f*ck it. I even say that. And for all I know, those things can be cut by the time we get to the editing room because something has to exist for this movie. And if that works in tandem with setting up characters that exist in other media, then that’s great.

Gunn’s philosophy is pretty straightforward- every scene must serve the current story of the movie. Having said that, he also agrees that “there’s seeds being planted.” Gunn will also be bringing other characters like Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, among others, which further establishes a larger connection. 

Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.