As the Writer's Guild of America begins their nationwide strike this week, many Hollywood productions have come to a halt. However, the first draft of the script for the upcoming Superman: Legacy, James Gunn's tent pole of his newly envisioned DCEU, was turned in last week, mere days before the strike began according to a report from The Wrap.
Following weeks of discussion to renegotiate the contract between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers which saw the latter refuse to agree to better pay terms, protection against the use of AI as a replacement for writers, and insurance for writers, many TV shows and films have halted production as the decision to strike was made. With writers obviously playing a key part in the development of film and TV, one would think the decision to go ahead with production without them would be unwise (and one would be right), however, that hasn't stopped House of the Dragon from continuing to film Season 2 regardless. In a move reminiscent of the once-great series Heroes, which similarly continued with the production of its second season during the WGA's strike during 2007 and 2008, and as a result, faced an extreme drop in quality, the decision to do so is an unenviable one.
Thankfully, as James Gunn prepares to take over and oversee the relaunch of the DC Extended Universe following years of flailing by the studio, the landmark reboot of DC Studio's signature hero is not expected to be affected by the strikes as its first draft was already turned in just days before they began. As development on the upcoming film advances, pre-production began last month with Gunn saying costumes, production design "and more" are "up and running," revealing the news in a tweet. Gunn, who has seen success helming the Guardians of the Galaxy series for Marvel, not only wrote the film's script but will also direct, as the reboot aims for a Q1 2024 production start. Gunn is said to be in the midst of casting for the film and recently took to Twitter to debunk casting rumors.
What Will Superman: Legacy Be About?
With Superman: Legacy leading the DCEU in a new direction, one overseen by Gunn's watchful eye, the film will focus on a younger Clark Kent, though it will not serve as an origin story for the iconic character. The decision is understandable considering audiences were shown Superman's origin story relatively recently in 2013's Man of Steel. While Legacy will serve as a reboot of the continuity which began in Zack Synder's film, Superman's origin has remained largely unchanged and widely understood since its inception, so rehashing the events is arguably unnecessary. Synder himself made a similar decision in his 2016 Man of Steel follow-up Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, in which he elected to only show Batman's origin through a brief flashback sequence at the film's beginning.
It is currently unclear how long the WGA strike will be in effect, but should it last a similar duration of 100 days as it did in 2007 and 2008, fans (and Gunn) can hope that the impact on Superman: Legacy will be minimal before it finally hits cinemas on July 11, 2025.