James Gunn has announced 10 projects that will kickstart the new DCU. Out of these, the first movie that will earnestly begin the Gunn era is “Superman: Legacy.” We first learned about the project almost on the same day Henry Cavill announced his departure from the DC universe. Gunn said back then that he was indeed writing a Superman film and that it wasn’t going to be an origin story. During the press conference for the slate release, the two CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran talked about the movie further and elaborated on the age differences between Batman and Superman. So let us explain it all below.
James Gunn Clarifies The Ages Of Batman And Superman
In the presser, James Gunn was questioned about Superman’s age. The co-CEO of DC Studios answered by saying that he is working as a reporter at the Daily Planet. He didn’t explicitly clarify Superman’s age in the film, but reportedly, he’s around 25 years old in the movie. But what about Batman? Gunn says we might have a Batman who is a couple of years older than the Superman. This age difference is certainly interesting and has sparked a lot of controversy in the DC fandom.
Many think that this age difference could mimic the one between Superman and Batman in the Snyderverse, where the latter was active for about two decades before the former revealed himself to the world. However, going by James Gunn’s words, DCU’s Worlds Finest duo (as they are called in the comics) won’t suffer from that big of an age gap.
However, Batman being a little older than Superman makes sense because he is already a father and also because the Batfamily is established in the DC Universe. On the other hand, it doesn’t look like Superman will just be starting out in his superhero career or learning about his Kryptonian heritage in the movie. After all, with the announcement of “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow,” it seems like the DC Universe will be fleshing out Superman’s side of the family too.
It will be interesting to see how the DCU deals with established heroes rather than telling an origin story. Also, fans will be eagerly waiting to see what kind of relationship Superman and Batman will have in the movie. Will it still be one of your friends? Or will it be a situation where Batman assumes the role of a mentor-like figure for the Kryptonian? That will be intriguing to discover.
Gunn also further explained that Superman and Batman wouldn’t be the first heroes in the DCU since superheroes would have publicly existed for some time. This revelation has opened a lot of doors for the DCU to adopt heroes like the Justice Society of America, who existed in the 20th century, and later down the line.
As a result, unlike the Snyderverse, it won’t have to keep on retconning who is the first hero. After all, at first, Snyder revealed that Superman was the world’s first superhero in “Man of Steel.” Then “BvS” reversed that to make Batman the first hero. Later on, “Wonder Woman” specified that technically Diana was the first superhero. So it looks like the DCU won’t fall into such traps.
James Gunn Elaborates On His Superman Movie
During the press gathering, James Gunn gave a lot more details on his highly anticipated Superman project. He said that casting for the role hasn’t yet begun with more details on his highly anticipated Superman project. He said that casting for the role hasn’t yet begun. Fans who follow James Gunn on Twitter will know that already, since he refuted the rumors of Jacob Elordi or anyone else being cast as Superman. As for a director, no one has been chosen just yet by DC Studios, but Peter Safran hopes that James Gunn can be persuaded to helm the project.
Regarding the plot of the movie, Peter Safran explained that the movie would focus on the Kryptonian hero, who will try to balance his Kryptonian heritage and his human upbringing. He further said that Superman represents the taglines of “truth, justice, and the American way” in the film. The hero is the embodiment of kindness in an era where that trait is looked at as being old-fashioned.
Several fans commented that apart from him showing kindness to all, the part about balancing his two heritages seemed similar to the themes Zack Snyder was trying to explore in his “Man of Steel,” “BvS,” and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” films. However, it isn’t a theme that Snyder has uniquely picked out.
Throughout the 80+ years that Superman has existed, several comics have explored the relationship between his Kryptonian heritage and his human one. So hopefully, James Gunn will add something new to the conversation rather than treading the same ground Zack Snyder did before. How will the movie ultimately shape up? That remains to be seen. “Superman: Legacy” will premiere on July 11, 2025.
See more: James Gunn Clarifies Sasha Calle’s Future As Supergirl, Fans Think A Recast Is Coming
