Despite Henry Cavill’s cameo in Black Adam last year originally being intended to set up more Superman appearances in the DC Extended Universe, the actor’s time as the Kryptonian superhero has come to an end. Instead, the famed Man of Steel is being rebooted as part of the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, with James Gunn writing and directing Superman: Legacy. One week after it was announced that David Corenswet will play Superman in the reboot, Gunn has shared a key way the upcoming DC movie will stand out form the character’s previous cinematic appearances.
We’ve known since last December that Superman: Legacy will take a cue from The Batman by following a younger version of Clark Kent/Kal-El, yet having him already be an established superhero rather than just starting to protect the innocent. Now Gunn has revealed on his BlueSky page (via Home of DCU) that Legacy will also forgo showing the character’s origins, saying:
I think we’ve seen his origin enough in film at this time!
Gunn wrote that comment to a fan who suggested that Superman: Legacy “use the opening two pages of all star Superman as his whole origin in the movie.” All-Star Superman is indeed a source of inspiration for Legacy, but as the filmmaker has now made clear, Superman’s early years won’t be shown whatsoever. So even though we already knew that Legacy itself wouldn’t be an origin story, now we know it also won’t chronicle him being sent from the dying Krypton to Earth as an infant, learning to use his powers while growing up in Smallville, etc. By the way Gunn is speaking, this doesn’t even sound like these events will be quickly summarized during the opening credits, although perhaps that could change down the line.
Still, Superman is a superhero who’s been popular around the world for so long that the general public is well aware of his origin story, just like how they know Batman’s parents were gunned down in an alley and Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive/genetically-altered spider. This is well-tread territory, so James Gunn is surely making the right call not dedicating precious runtime to that portion of the character’s life. Maybe there will be a few lines of dialogue referencing where Superman came from, but that wouldn’t interrupt the flow of the story.
David Corenswet will be accompanied in Superman: Legacy by Rachel Brosnahan, who’s been magnificently cast as Lois Lane. The reboot’s next big casting is expected to be Lex Luthor, with brothers Alexander and Bill Skarsgård among the reported candidates for the role. It’s also rumored that members of The Authority will be featured in Legacy ahead of the superhero team’s own movie. Production is scheduled to begin in Atlanta in early 2024, and the movie is slated for release on July 11, 2025.
Keep checking in with CinemaBlend for more updates on what Superman: Legacy holds in store. If you’re interested in revisiting Superman’s past film and TV appearances, that’s easily doable with a Max subscription.
