James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, has helmed quite a few DC movies ever since he took the position in November 2022, alongside Peter Safran. Even before he joined the franchise, he made some of the best movies of recent times such as MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and DC’s Suicide Squad.
Soon after becoming the co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran announced that the DC Extended Universe is going to get a soft reboot and is known as DC Universe, which is perhaps for the best considering the performance of some of the recent DC movies. This upcoming franchise is going to be kickstarted with Superman: Legacy and this will be a chance for exploration of the character’s strengths and weaknesses beyond Kryptonite.
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James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy Can Explore the Character Beyond Kryptonite
Controversies aside, there is no doubt that James Gunn is one of the most talented directors in Hollywood. His vision for Superman: Legacy is has generated a lot of hype. However, certain things would make the movie stand out from its predecessors.
Kryptonite, often dubbed a weakness in itself, is Superman’s biggest weakness and has been explored in nearly every Superman adaptation ever made. So, saving it for future use might be a good touch to Superman: Legacy as it would give a chance to depict the superhero’s other weaknesses.
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One of these weaknesses that can be played into the upcoming movie is the fact that Superman derives his powers from the Earth’s yellow sun as Krypton’s red sun is detrimental to his powers, much like it is to other Kryptonians. Furthermore, sorcery is also no good for Kryptonians so putting Superman into situations where sorcery is involved would also work well for the movie.
Kal-El has some of the best fight scenes in the realm of comic book movies. Henry Cavill’s Superman in Man of Steel and Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman in Superman and Lois have those scenes in plenty. So, including these in David Corenswet’s Superman: Legacy will also be a smart move. Not focusing on Superman’s origin story is also a good move on James Gunn’s behalf.
James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is Not Going to Star Henry Cavill
Less than a month after assuming his position as the co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn took to X, formerly Twitter, to announce that he and Peter already had projects slated for the new DC reboot. This announcement included an update on Superman: Legacy.
Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
It was also during this announcement that it was revealed that Henry Cavill will not be reprising his role as Superman in DCEU. Gunn wrote:
“In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”
The upcoming Superman movie, slated for a 2025 release, will follow a young Clark Kent but will have nothing to do with his origin story. So, it seems understandable that Cavill has to bid adieu to the superhero.
Gunn has also been busy on the casting front: a Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 star has reportedly been cast in a key CIA role for the film, while Gunn himself has addressed speculation around Superman: Legacy’s potential villains, staying deliberately coy about who the main antagonist will be.
Frequently asked questions
What are Superman’s weaknesses besides kryptonite?
Beyond kryptonite, Superman is weakened by red sun radiation (the kind of sun Krypton orbited, which depletes his solar-charged powers) and is famously vulnerable to magic and sorcery, which bypass his physical invulnerability. The article argues James Gunn’s film should explore these instead of relying on kryptonite again.
Why does red sun radiation weaken Superman?
Superman’s powers come from absorbing the energy of a yellow sun like Earth’s, so exposure to red sun radiation (similar to Krypton’s sun) cuts off that energy source and reduces him toward ordinary human strength.
Who plays Superman in James Gunn’s rebooted DC Universe film?
David Corenswet plays a younger Clark Kent in James Gunn’s film, taking over from Henry Cavill as Gunn relaunches the franchise with a fresh, non-origin story focused on an earlier part of Superman’s life.
