Co-heads of DC Studios James Gunn and Peter Safran have unveiled the official title and release date for the new Superman movie. As revealed by Gunn and Safran, Superman Legacy is one of the main projects of the DCU’s new overarching narrative, and it comes to theaters in 2025.
Despite being universally recognized as the character that kickstarted the superhero trend, Superman has not been very lucky regarding theatrical releases in the past decade. In 2013, Henry Cavill took over the red cape and starred in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the movie that became the sustaining pillar of the DCU. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. executives rushed to catch up with Marvel and brought Cavill back for Batman v Superman and Justice League, two productions haunted by over-scoping narratives, lacking character development, and controversial executive decisions.
It seemed like Cavill was done with Superman after so much heartbreaking. However, the star returned to the role for Black Adam’s end-credits scene last October.
Cavill’s appearance as Superman quickly became a promise for a sequel to Man of Steel when the star confirmed he was flying back to the DCU. However, once Safran and Gunn took over DC Studios, they opted to reset the entire universe and bring a new generation of stars to tell stories for many years.
While some fans were angry to see Cavill go, it’s great to learn DC Studios still respects Superman’s importance to superhero culture. As such, Gunn and Safran will bring the Man of Steel back as a crucial element of their DCU. And while there’s still no star attached to the part, we are excited to see where they take the Son of Krypton next.
What’s Superman Legacy About?
While Gunn and Safran are still holding back many DCU secrets, they revealed that Superman Legacy would deal with the hero’s double identity as an alien and Earth’s protector. As promised by Gunn last year, the upcoming movie will not be another origin story. And to make sure the new movie fits perfectly with the new DCU, Gunn is writing the script himself. As Safran puts it:
“So, the our next project, feature film is really the launch of the DCU. These first few projects are kind of, you know, an amuse-bouche for what is coming up with ‘Superman Legacy’. So, James is currently writing it, we certainly hope and are hoping that he will direct it. It's not an origin story. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage, with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”
Superman Legacy is set to fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.