James Gunn Says There Are Three Things He Doesn’t Need to See Again in a Superhero Movie
Superman’s story has been told many times before, from the baby sent from Krypton to the young hero growing into his powers. Movies and comics have shown us his origin again and again, just like Batman’s vow after losing his parents or Spider-Man’s bite from a radioactive spider.
But James Gunn, who is now co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, wants to do something different with his new Superman movie. Instead of retelling the familiar beginnings, Gunn is starting with a Superman who is already a hero.
In an interview with The Times, Gunn explained that there are parts of superhero stories he feels don’t need to be shown over and over. “There are three things I don’t ever need to see again in a superhero movie,” he said.
“I don’t need to see pearls in a back alley when Batman’s parents are killed. I don’t need to see the radioactive spider biting Spider-Man. And I don’t need to see baby Kal coming from Krypton in a little baby rocket.”
He added that sometimes it’s okay to just jump right into the story without explaining every detail of a character’s past. “We have watched a million movies with characters who don’t have their upbringing explained… Who cares?”
Gunn’s Superman won’t focus on his origin or how he got his powers. Instead, the story takes place after Superman has already been around for a while. The world has known about metahumans like him for centuries, and the film uses an opening crawl, like in Star Wars, to quickly explain the background for this new version of the story.
Gunn also hinted at his approach to the next Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold. He said it would focus on a Batman who is already experienced, not a young hero just starting out. This means we won’t see flashbacks of Bruce Wayne’s parents being killed like in past Batman movies.
Gunn said, “We just start in the middle of the action… Superman already exists. Lois and Clark already know each other. Lex hates Superman’s guts from the beginning, although they don’t know each other personally.” The story takes place over a short period and throws viewers right into the action.
The new Superman film stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Other cast members include Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. The movie is set to hit theaters on July 11.
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