James Gunn, who recently took over as one of the heads of DC Studios, will write and direct the next Superman movie, which will inaugurate a new, more interconnected universe for the superhero brand, Warner Bros. announced Wednesday.
Gunn will formally wrap up his ties to comic book rival Marvel this May with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the conclusion of his misfit space-heroes trilogy. Then he will helm the first chapter in a planned reboot of the DC universe: an entirely new take on the Man of Steel called Superman Legacy.
It’s not clear who will star as Clark Kent’s bulletproof alter-ego. No casting has been announced, but the film already has a script (penned by Gunn himself) and a release date: July 11, 2025.
“Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage
with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” Warner Bros. said in a statement. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
The movie will be produced by Peter Safran, who shares chairman and CEO duties at DC Studios with Gunn. Safran is best known for producing the horror franchises The Nun, The Conjuring, and Annabelle, and previously worked with Gunn on his 2021 DC sequel The Suicide Squad.
Superman Legacy will be followed by writer-director Matt Reeves’s sequel The Batman: Part II, which will bring Robert Pattinson‘s caped crusader back to screens on October 3, 2025.
Before it begins this new phase of films, which Gunn and Safran have titled “Gods and Monsters,” DC has a number of titles already in the pipeline to release, among them Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which debuts this Friday; The Flash, out in June; Blue Beetle, debuting in August; and the sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, coming in December. The Joaquin Phoenix–Lady Gaga follow-up Joker: Folie à Deux, will premiere next year, but is considered an “Elseworlds” title—based on a DC character, but existing outside the universe of the other DC-branded movies.
Gunn and Safran announced a handful of new movies for their “Gods and Monsters” slate, among them a Supergirl movie, a feature based on Swamp Thing, and a separate Batman and Robin film called The Brave and the Bold.
Their do-over of DC has rankled some fans after reports that they had scuttled Wonder Woman 3 from director Patty Jenkins, seemingly ending Gal Gadot‘s tenure as the character. Henry Cavill fans also were unhappy after he announced his Superman run had abruptly ended. Moviegoers were promised a Cavill return with last year’s Black Adam movie, starring Dwayne Johnson. It featured a post-credit cameo from the Zack Snyder-universe Superman, hinting that he would be onscreen again as the Kryptonian.
Anthony Breznican
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