The actors strike has officially ended its 118-day run as SAG-AFTRA & Studios reached a deal for a new three-year contract — meaning that products, such as James Gunn‘s DC film Superman: Legacy, can now fly full steam ahead and get back to work, as filming will resume in March 2024. ICYMI: Gunn has taken over as the new co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. His vision will completely reboot the DC Extended Universe, as the films have been pretty hit or miss.
While there’s been some success, like with 2017s Wonder Woman having a Rotten Tomato score of 93%, most of the DCU films have predominately been misses — we’re looking at you 2011s Green Lantern. That Rotten Tomato score of 25% hurts. Hopefully, Gunn and Safran will bring in a much-needed change for the franchise. And the first step toward that is with Superman: Legacy.
With the strike ending, many priority films have released a status update on filming and release dates. Unfortunately, films like Venom 3 have been pushed back due to production delays. But there is a bright side, as the highly anticipated Gladiator 2 project, starring The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal, is taking priority. Production is fast-tracking the Ridley Scott film, as they’ve announced that while Pascal has a busy schedule, his role in Gladiator 2 will take priority, per Deadline. And Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy is another priority project as the film was on standby in prep all summer. With the strike over, Gunn is ready to jump into action in order to meet his original deadline for a June 2025 release date.
What Will James Gunn’s ‘Superman: Legacy’ Be About?
Gunn has stepped in as a hero for DC‘s Extended Universe in the past, as his version of 2021s The Suicide Squad was a box office success. The film grossed $168 million worldwide and received positive reviews — a stark contrast to the 2016 version, which was given a 26% score on Rotten Tomatoes. So, it’s no surprise that the studio turned to Gunn to help provide the DCU with some much-needed support. Gunn is best known for taking relatively unknown comic book characters, and turning them into household names. Take Guardians of the Galaxy for example, one of the MCU‘s most successful trilogy films. However, Superman is one of the most well known comic book characters, and his story has been told and re-told multiple times. So, how will Gunn‘s version differ from the countless Superman stories out there?
Well, according to Gunn, Superman: Legacy will bring a new version of Clark Kent (David Corenswet) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) that’s yet to be explored. The director took to social media to respond to fan requests surrounding his film, explaining that this won’t be an origin story, stating: “I think we’ve seen his origin enough in film at this time!” Instead, Gunn announced that this film represents the first phase of his DC chapter. A phase that he calls “Gods and Monsters“. Detailing that this version of Superman is already part of a world of heroes, and that he’s already familiar with the battle between good and evil.
via Collider