In an intriguing twist to his new start at DC Studios, James Gunn has dropped a Krypton-sized bomb by revealing there may well be two Superman movies on the way — at the same time. Gunn's take on the character, Superman Legacy, is due to kick off the new era of DC Films.
In 2021, talk of a Superman film written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams broke, with rumors suggesting the movie would be set in the 1900s and would feature a Black Superman. Given the fresh slate that Gunn was keen to bring to DC, which had suffered from poor writing, downright shoddy characterization, and mixed-at-best critical and audience responses to the preceding films, one would have assumed films not already in the can — and even some that already were — would be scrapped to make way for the new regime. Not so, however, as Gunn has spoken publicly for the first time about the 'period Superman movie'.
Speaking with io9 this weekend, Gunn revealed that the movie wasn't off the table at all just because he was also directing a movie around the Man of Steel, stating:
"Those two things are totally unrelated. That’s an exciting movie. I know that Chantal Nong, who is the executive on that project, is extremely excited about it. So if it comes in and it’s great, which I haven’t read the script, and if the timing is right, that could absolutely happen. That’s totally unrelated. It would be an Elseworlds tale like Joker."
At the time of the initial announcement, Coates and Abrams released statements.
“To be invited into the DC Extended Universe by Warner Bros., DC Films and Bad Robot is an honor,” said Coates. “I look forward to meaningfully adding to the legacy of America's most iconic mythic hero." Abrams added: “There is a new, powerful, and moving Superman story yet to be told. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with the brilliant Mr. Coates to help bring that story to the big screen, and we’re beyond thankful to the team at Warner Bros. for the opportunity."
What Are 'Elseworlds' Tales in the DC Universe?
When announcing their DC slate back in January, Gunn and Peter Safran said that movies that didn't fall into their shared universe would be labeled as "Elseworlds" features. This would allow movies like The Batman and Joker to continue to exist outside the central DC storylines that the pair are keen to create.
These films also give the creative teams the ability to take more liberties with their characters, as they wouldn't necessarily be required further down the road in the grand scheme of the DCU, and would also allow for more outside-of-the-box thinking when it comes to casting and plots.
The Batman and Joker also saw tremendous box office success, despite being released in the same era as the previous DC shared universe films — both received critical acclaim and sequels were quickly greenlit. The Batman Part Two is currently in development and Joker: Folie à Deux is due for release on October 4, 2024.