This interview has been edited for clarity.
After three hit movies writing and directing a story about a human living among and interacting with aliens, doing the same about an alien living on Earth should be a piece of cake, or so one might think.
But when that alien also happens to be Superman aka Kal-El aka the Last Son of Krypton and one of the most well-known character who has appeared in comic books, novels, radio, television shows, multiple live-action movies and more, identifying that right tone of voice for a global audience already familiar with the character can be daunting. And it’s more so for James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), co-CEO of DC Studios, and writer and director of the upcoming Superman film, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, and Rachel Brosnahan as journalist Lois Lane, and longtime partner and love interest.
Speaking with Geek Culture during the Manila stopover of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Superman Global Talent Tour, Gunn offered a glimpse into his vision for Superman, revealing the delicate art of reinventing iconic characters while respecting their legacy.
“The biggest challenge was getting Clark’s voice right,” he explains, on delivering an updated version of an 87-year-old character that the majority of the world readily recognise.
“He’s this gung-ho guy, and I wanted to ensure I was true to who he really is.”
Interestingly enough though, writing for Lois Lane came more naturally to Gunn, who found that crafting a voice for a strong journalist rather effortless. But with this also comes the natural conflict – how do you write about an iconic relationship that the world is already intimately familiar with, especially with an expectant fanbase?
“I wrote something I hoped was true to who Superman was. It’s not about changing anything fundamental, but adding some depth to certain aspects of their relationship,” he emphasizes.
“We’re micro-focusing on one aspect of their relationship, which is the first three months of when they’re dating, which is something we don’t really see,” Gunn revealed. “It’s when they’ve gone past the initial sort of attraction, and now they’re in, ‘Oh boy. Is this really something that I can see work?’”
Not so ironically, it’s also this bigger tapestry that his Superman film is establishing for a new DC Studios film universe that has fans also asking, sometimes in a not so supportive manner, is this something that can work?
With strong level of expectations around what Gunn is trying to create as co-CEO of the new DC Studios, the 58-year-old is doing something that no other director of previous Superman debut films have done – introduce an accompanying cast of live-action superheroes from the DC Comics pantheon to establish a broader, more interconnected DC Universe Hollywood franchise.
Beyond Superman, Gunn is orchestrating an ambitious universe with the introduction of Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion, The Suicide Squad), Hawkgirl aka Kendra Saunders (Isabela Merced, Alien: Romulus), Metamorpho aka Rex Mason (Anthony Carrigan, Death of a Unicorn) and Mister Terriffic aka Michael Holt (Edi Gathegi, X-Men: First Class) in Superman.
And beyond that, production has already started for a Supergirl movie, directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella) and starring Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as the Maid of Might, Clayface directed by James Watkins (Speak No Evil) and starring Tom Rhys Harries (Kandahar) as the actor turned Batman villain, as well as for the Green Lanterns television series, Lanterns, about intergalactic emerald ring bearers Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler, Godzilla vs. Kong) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre, Rebel Ridge).
And in this complex world of superhero storytelling, Gunn can’t do it all alone and everything starts with assembling a team of writers who don’t just come up with ideas, but also turn in scripts to his satisfaction.
“It always comes back to the scripts,” he candidly shares. “That’s what I care about most.”
Gunn’s approach isn’t just theoretical as he’s seen firsthand how a brilliant script can elevate a project.
“When the Lanterns pilot was written, it was amazing,” he recalls of Chris Mundy (Ozark), DC Comics writer Tom King, and Damon Lindelof’s (Lost) effort.
Similarly, Ana Nogueira’s debut Supergirl script and Mike Flanagan’s (The Haunting of Hill House) Clayface screenplay were impressive enough to greenlight production. Still, not everything that comes across Gunn’s table is suitable, nor does it always meet his high standards.
“Some things that came in weren’t so amazing,” Gunn admits and while he didn’t name any projects, there have been reports that the long talked about Sgt. Rock film has been put on hold.
And when a script falls short, his team doesn’t hesitate to pump the brakes. “We either slow them down or shift our approach,” he explains.
“If you have a good script, you can find great directors.”
And while his Superman film is a reboot of previous live-action cinematic efforts, the movie does retain one element from Richard Donner’s seminal 1978 classic of the same name, starring Christopher Reeve as Superman – the use of John Williams’ iconic theme song.
In fact, Gunn and team ran the use of the legendary composer’s music in the film with the 93-year-old, to ensure that they receive his stamp of approval.
“John had to watch the way the music was used in the movie, because it’s his music. He owns it,” Gunn clarifies.
“We showed him everything so that he could see it and make sure it was okay to use it. He was very gracious about it.”
And while Superman is taking flight, questions are also abuzz about the remaining two of DC’s Trinity of heroes – Batman and Wonder Woman – and their lack of any visibility at this time. While not revealing more details, Gunn insists that the trio remain central to his DC Universe, though they are also not the only characters he has been tasked to bring to the fore.
“They’re incredibly central. When (co-CEO) Peter Saffron and I took over DC Studios, we had our own marching orders, were that we were going to continue to honour the legacy of the big three, what we call diamond properties, and Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.”
He continues, “And then other characters, like Green Lantern, who’s very big but hasn’t had as much of a chance, but then also to bring in other characters that were newer characters like Peacemaker, Clayface or Metamorpho, and bring them into the mix and turn them into diamond characters, so that future generations can enjoy all of these characters.”
Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.
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