James Gunn has made the decision to exclude Clark Kent’s origin story in Superman: Legacy, the upcoming film that serves as the launchpad for Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters,” in the new DC Universe reboot by DC Studios. As the DCEU wraps up its extremely divisive and only occasionally successful ten-year run, Gunn and Peter Safran take the reins as co-CEOs, spearheading the exciting future of the DC Universe.
Alongside Superman: Legacy, numerous other DC Universe movies and shows are presently in active development, which should hopefully provide a clean slate and a fresh palate for DC fans to see their heroes on the big – and small – screens. Shortly after DC Studios officially announced David Corenswet as Superman and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the highly anticipated film is set to begin production in 2024. While there are still various other roles yet to be filled, the project is on schedule and gearing up for shooting.
Gunn took to his BlueSky social media page and, when responding to a fan who was asking about the possibility of using the All-Star Superman storyline as inspiration for Superman: Legacy‘s origin story for the character, Gunn responded by quite simply stating: “I think we’ve seen his origin enough in film at this time!”
Trusting the Audience to Do Their Homework
This development is welcome news. Audiences have shown that they are occasionally growing weary of seeing the same characters over and over again, without the need for being spoonfed “how they came to be”. Gunn is following the likes of Batman and Spider-Man in this trend of eschewing the “tragic origin story of the hero”. In both Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan‘s first Batman films, we are shown Bruce Wayne’s parents, Thomas and Martha, being gunned down as the catalyst for his desire to seek vengeance.
Likewise, in Marvel‘s Spider-Man films featuring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, we get the usual story – nerdy teen bitten by radioactive spider, goes on fun adventures, beloved uncle is shot, and he endeavors to make the world a safer place. The most recent incarnations of the characters – Robert Pattinson in The Batman and Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Homecoming – saw both heroes already well established, because the audiences know who they are. It saves time and will make for a better movie.
With great power comes same old story. We already know how Superman comes to Earth, we don’t need to see it again. Gunn has his finger on the pulse here, and the audiences heading to theaters to see the movie will appreciate him for it.
via Collider