The New Trailer For James Gunn's 'Superman' Is Here

When it was announced back in 2022 that writer-director James Gunn was going to be the co-CEO of DC Studios with producer Peter Safran for Warner Bros. Discovery, it grabbed a lot of people’s attention, and immediately made both his supporters and his detractors wonder what he would do first, now that he was calling the shots regarding the DC Universe in film and television. One of his first decisions was to announce that there would be a new Superman movie, and that Henry Cavill would not be returning to play the Big Blue Boy Scout since this project would be focusing on a younger version of the character.

People on social media expressed their anger and disappointment about Cavill’s dismissal from the role, and some of them made it very clear that Gunn’s version of Superman would be getting none of their support. Fast-forward to June of 2023, when David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were cast as Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane, followed by Corenswet’s first appearance in costume appearing on social media this past May, and lots of production photos appearing online when outdoor scenes for Superman (which was originally titled Superman: Legacy before Gunn decided against it) were filmed in Cleveland. After months of anticipation, the wait for an official first look at the film finally ended, as the teaser trailer for Superman made its world premiere this morning.

Some people on the Internet didn’t feel like waiting to watch the actual trailer before expressing their excitement or disappointment, judging from yesterday’s reactions to the brief teaser for the teaser trailer itself. Most of the complaints were directed at the film’s cinematography and color grading, and even at the extras who are seen looking up at whatever is demanding their attention. Others absolutely loved what they saw, and expressed how much they’re looking forward to a brighter, more hopeful version of Superman that is more like the late, great Richard Donner’s version of Superman with the late, great Christopher Reeve, and nothing at all like Zack Snyder’s version of Superman in Man of Steel (and also in Batman v. Superman and Zack Snyder’s Justice League).

From IGN, which was included in a roundtable interview with Gunn:

Gunn has been adamant from the beginning that he has no interest in rehashing Superman’s origin story. He’s as sick of superhero origins as the fans are. Superman is pointedly set several years into Clark Kent’s career as a costumed hero. Corenswet’s Superman is an established hero at this point, though he’s still cultivating the relationships that will come to define him.

One of those relationships is his rivalry with Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. Surprisingly, though this film is set several years after Superman’s initial debut, Clark has yet to really clash with Metropolis’ favorite tech billionaire. The two men are aware of each other’s existence, but only now does Lex begin making moves against the Man of Steel.

“It was about really putting us in the middle of the action from the beginning,” Gunn says. “And there’s a lot of these things in this movie now that I’ve been making it for over a year that I think of as normal. But now when you bring it up, I go, ‘Oh yeah, that’s pretty unusual.’ We just start in the middle of the action. Superman’s already existing. Lois and Clark already know each other. Lex hates Superman’s guts from the beginning, although they don’t know each other personally. So we start right in the middle of the action. It takes place over a short amount of time.”

Will this be an undeniable success in launching the new DCU, and giving Marvel Studios a run for its money? Are critics and audiences going to be just as happy and satisfied with Corenswet as they were (and still are) with Reeve’s version of Superman? Will it win over fans who still miss Cavill’s version, and who are still furious at Warner Bros. for not letting the DCEU continue to exist with him and Snyder? Is Mike Redmond still convinced that The Batman Part II is going to be canceled, and never actually see the light of day? (I already know the answer to that last one.)

Fasten your seatbelts, because the Internet discourse about all things Superman is going to be a very bumpy ride, and as always, there is never a dull moment when it comes to the DCEU DCU.

Superman, starring David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner/Green Lantern), Edi Gathegi (Michael Holt/Mister Terrific), Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl, and it remains unknown as to which version she will portray), María Gabriela de Faría (Angela Spica/The Engineer), Wendell Pierce (Perry White), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Frank Grillo (Rick Flag, Sr.), Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher), Terence Rosemore (Otis), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Jonathan Kent), Neva Howell (Martha Kent), Beck Bennett (Steve Lombard), Mikaela Hoover (Cat Grant), Christopher McDonald (Ron Troupe), and possibly Sean Gunn (making his first appearance as Maxwell Lord, though that hasn’t been confirmed), and Milly Alcock (making her first appearance as Kara/Supergirl, though that also hasn’t been confirmed), is scheduled to open in theaters July 11, 2025.