‘Superman: Legacy’: James Gunn Confirms He Won’t Make a ‘Young Superman’ Movie

The reboot of the DC Extended Universe is in full development with James Gunn and Peter Safran at the helm. Of course, the end of the ‘Snyderverse’ marked the change of the actors and recasts that had already been announced. Recently, it was reported that Gal Gadot wouldn’t return for the role of Wonder Woman, and most notably, Henry Cavill won’t return as Superman for new projects in the new era of DC Extended Universe.

This was huge news since Cavill was a great Superman and one of the fan favorites, but with a new era on the horizon, new blood will get the chance to portray famous DC characters. ‘Superman: Legacy‘ is the one project everyone is excited about, and it is currently in pre-production, with new actors already being announced.

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will portray Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, with numerous other DC superheroes appearing in the movie, including Mr. Terrific, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and Hawkgirl.

However, as usual, with new projects adapting comic book characters, fans are vocal about their wishes and speculation. Of course, there are positive and negative reactions, and Gunn’s recent answer to the fan question on social media “provoked” mixed reactions about ‘Superman: Legacy’ and what we can expect.

James Gunn tells fans he’s not making a ‘young Superman’ movie

With today’s worldwide theater release of ‘Blue Beetle,’ DC fans have something to look forward to if the first reactions to the movie don’t suggest otherwise.

However, besides the release of the new DC project, James Gunn still interacts with fans on social media, patiently answers questions, and even calls out fake news. Besides promoting the ‘Blue Beetle’ movie, Gunn’s timeline is full of fan questions about his other major project – ‘Superman: Legacy,’ which will mark another era of the Man of Tomorrow in the new DC Extended Universe.

Of course, Henry Cavill being “retired” as Superman on the big screen upset some fans, especially after his appearance in the ‘Black Adam’ movie last year. However, Gunn and Safran decided that the “new blood” and new stories of our favorite DC superheroes are needed for the success of the future DC Extended Universe projects.

Today, James Gunn answered some fan questions on social media Threads, and one of the users asked if ‘Superman: Legacy’ will be set in the past since Jaime Reyes is clearly aware of Superman in DC Universe.

Of course, the user suggests that the new Superman movie will feature a young Clark Kent and will be set in the past. However, Gunn immediately clears up doubts about the age and the version of Superman in the new DCEU and says he “was never making a ‘young Superman movie,’ just a Superman movie!”

Gunn confirmed that “his” Superman will be ‘younger’ – somewhere in his twenties, meaning that he will have some experience as the Man of Tomorrow and a superhero that protects Metropolis and is part of the ‘Justice League.’ Moreover, the movie won’t dwell on the Superman origin story we have seen many times in live-action.

Some fans that really like Cavill’s Superman jumped on Gunn, even saying he is a ‘liar’ and asked what was the point of removing the English actor, who (in their minds) is still perfectly suitable for the role.

Of course, more sensible fans understood that new directors and writers don’t always see the same actors in their vision, but still, this answer really, at least for the moment, made many fans mad.

It’s okay to like actors portraying superheroes, and Cavill was absolutely amazing as Superman, but new eras arrive, and the announcement of the new cast of actors suggests that Gunn and Safran think that as well.

Nevertheless, we can expect a new and different Superman in the reboot of the DC Extended Universe, and if writers’ and actors’ strikes don’t affect the plans for the movie development, the filming is supposed to happen in the January of 2024. The final release is planned to happen in July 2025.

What are your thoughts on this decision? Let us know in the comments below!