The return of one of the most iconic superheroes of all time to the big screen needs to be seen on a big scale, and James Gunn understood the assignment. Through his Threads account, the filmmaker has confirmed that Superman will be filmed in the IMAX format in its entirety, giving viewers a bigger experience when the blockbuster flies into theaters next summer. David Corenswet is about to make his debut as the Man of Steel as a new franchise is born, and thanks to this announcement, viewers can be sure that Warner Bros. feels confident about the scale of the project.

While previous iterations of the character depicted Clark Kent as a more experienced hero, Superman will place the protagonist in a complicated position, as a young man trying to balance his life as a journalist and the time he spends saving Metropolis. Other classic characters from Superman’s mythology, including Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) will be making an appearance in the film, setting the stage for Clark’s latest adventure. While Henry Cavill‘s version of the character was the first hero established in the DC Extended Universe, Corenswet‘s iteration will be introduced in a world that is already filled with powerful beings.

The DC Extended Universe entertained audiences for a decade, since Man of Steel made its way to the big screen, until last year’s release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. But now, it’s time for a new franchise to bring the brand from the pages of a comic book to cinemas. Superman will be the first theatrical installment of the new DC Universe, consisting of James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s vision for the franchise going forward. Other features, such as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Swamp Thing are also in development at the studio.

IMAX Continues to Grow

If Warner Bros. seems more confident in the IMAX format than usual, it might be because $72 million out of Dune: Part Two‘s $384 million global box office total came from IMAX screenings. The achievement marked a new global market share record for IMAX, with audiences clearly willing to embrace the format if they think the story told on the screen deserves it. Denis Villeneuve‘s sequel also scored 24% of its domestic box office total from IMAX showings, making the studio aware of how much demand for big-scale-blockbusters there is in the market. Time will tell if Superman can fly towards similar numbers, now that it’s been revealed that the DC Universe movie will be filmed entirely in IMAX.

via Collider