'That One Kind Of Got By Me': James Gunn Gets Real About The Superman Trailer's Infamous Shot Of David Corenswet Flying

Superman flying in the new trailer
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

The DC world is going through some changes as the DCEU (which is streaming with a Max subscription) is over and we’re transitioning to the new DCU. The first upcoming DC movie of these to arrive is James Gunn’s Superman, so the pressure is on. The movie’s trailer went viral for a shot of David Corenswet flying, and now the filmmaker/ studio head has gotten real about what went down.

What we know about Superman is limited, so fans are dissecting every frame of the Superman trailer to figure out what’s coming. I’m seriously hyped for the blockbuster, and wasn’t thrown by that viral clip of the title character flying. In an interview with EW, Gunn addressed what went down internally, saying:

It was a TV commercial and it wasn't a finished visual effects shot. So the part of him flying, it was a photograph of his face and him flying. It was a photograph of a drone flying in front of an actual background. So all the pieces were real, but it was incorporated in kind of a funky way. I didn't love the shot, so it's not even the shot that's in the movie. Sometimes I'm pretty strict about when I'm going through a trailer and looking at each of the shots, but sometimes the commercials, I forget to look at this closely. So that one kind of got by me.

There you have it. After all the discourse online, we finally know exactly how that particular image from the Superman trailer was released. It turns out out that on top of the CGI being unfinished, that Gunn didn’t notice the issue in the picture. And I have to assume that’s not a mistake he’s going to make twice.

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Max: Plans start from $9.99 a month
Max is the streaming home to all things DC. Pay $9.99 a month for its With Ads plan, and with three tiers available following a Max subscription. You can also prepay for a year and save up to 20%.

Since there have been so many Superman movies in the past, there’s a ton of pressure that comes with James Gunn putting his spin on the beloved DC hero. The limited footage for his movie is captivating, and has only inspired more discourse about its scale and the mysterious story being told by the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker.

The Superman cast is stellar, and Gunn is introducing a ton of characters throughout its mysterious runtime. That includes other superheroes like Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific. This isn’t going to be an origin story, which should presumably open more narrative possibilities for everyone involved. And given the big ensemble of characters assembled, this first DCU movie is likely going to help set up a ton of future projects such as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

All will be revealed when Superman hits theaters on July 8th as part of the 2025 movie release list. The streaming home of both DC universes is on Max, including Creature Commandos.

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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more. 

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