Assuming the whole lot goes exactly to plan, we’re now a full yr out from James Gunn’s Superman film. All eyes have been on this film ever since he revealed he’d do a new, younger take on the character sans Henry Cavill. And in latest weeks, one factor has been made clear: we should always all most likely chill the hell out about this film.
At time of writing, Superman is currently filming in Cleveland, and the previous week has seen a deluge of set photos of David Corenswet within the full costume alongside different heroes like Mr. Terrific and Hawkgirl. Previous to that, Gunn spent weeks on social media taking pictures down rumors or potential leaks left and proper with a dedication that was equally refreshing and exhausting. There’s an odd power within the air as social media customers voraciously consumes something they will about this movie and provides their ideas on grainy pictures of costumes, individuals, and units that aren’t being checked out within the correct context. And whereas on some stage that’s can par for the course with films as of late, it seems like we’re hitting a degree of no return, notably with regards to this style.
Regardless of Warner Bros.’s numerous attempts, Superman hasn’t had a film to name his personal since Man of Steel. Because the DCEU continued, he wound up extra of a supporting participant than anybody would’ve guessed. After reinvigorating his profession with Mission: Unimaginable – Fallout and The Witcher, Cavill appeared prepared to return again for actual by way of Black Adam, however Dwayne Johnson’s energy play blew up in each his and Cavill’s faces, to the purpose that it could have additionally led to the actor’s deliberate cameo in The Flash getting scrapped. The fractured nature of the DCEU finally made it so a film with Superman getting high billing depressingly felt like a miracle as an alternative of a pure a part of the superhero film lifecycle.
All of this stems from the bind Warner Bros. put itself in after Man of Metal’s divisive reception. Across the similar time, the Injustice video games and their wholly evil Superman acquired off the bottom, in flip making that gimmick for the character stick round. People could not have preferred “Darkish Superman,” nevertheless it turned a little bit of a default in TV and films: The Boys and Invincible star the Superman-alikes Homelander and Omni-Man, respectively, and each exhibits function imagery that by no means allow you to overlook who these guys are finally primarily based on. Even Gunn tried his hand at a darkish Superman of his personal with 2019’s Brightburn. As such, it’s possibly not too stunning that the precise Superman exhibits Superman & Lois and My Adventures with Superman each really feel like extra radical departures than they most likely are in actuality.
In reality, 2023 was a rough year for superheroes on the theater, with films from DC and Marvel each not hitting as laborious as their respective studios hoped for. There’s been loads of discuss what could exchange them because the dominant tentpole style and which of this yr’s cape films will hit with audiences past the surefire hit of Deadpool & Wolverine. Mixed with this being the very first film for the brand new DC movie universe that WB insists on being a factor, everyone seems to be virtually praying for Superman to be good. Whether it is, then we’ve averted one other uneven actor tenure and poisonous fanbase, and Gunn and firm don’t boot Corenswet for another person one film later, proper?
With the way in which fandom has been working for years, it’s unlucky that Superman is the following film caught up in its “all or nothing” mentality. There’s admitted sympathy in eager to not undergo one other wave of fandom toxicity for this explicit model, nevertheless it’s additionally superb to only deal with this like a daily film about Superman and never an endangered species on life assist. Getting too misplaced within the sauce of what one thing might be makes it one thing it’ll by no means absolutely dwell as much as, and it’ll simply harm as soon as the excessive ultimately comes down. By this level, we’ve all been burned by overhyping one thing to kingdom come, so let’s not repeat the identical errors we did within the 2010s.
Superman releases in theaters one yr from at this time: July 11, 2025.
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