DC Studios co-CEO and Superman director James Gunn is celebrating 86 years of The Man of Steel by providing fans with more behind-the-scenes content. On his personal Threads account, Gunn posted a picture of himself along with Superman stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, each reading different Superman comics. Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane, is reading All-Star Superman, Corenswet, who plays Clark Kent, is reading Action Comics #114, and Gunn is reading Superman #1. Gunn has been candid in the past that these comics will serve as inspiration for his version of Kal-El in the DCU.

The film also boasts an impressive cast of Milly Alcock as Supergirl, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Nicholas Hoult as the feature villain Lex Luthor, and many more. When announcing the slate for Chapter 1 in the DCU, Gods and Monsters, Gunn said that Superman (formerly Superman: Legacy) would be the true beginning of the new DC Universe. As of now, the only characters confirmed to make the transition from the DCEU to the new DCU are John Cena‘s Peacemaker, Viola Davis‘ Amanda Waller, and Xolo Mariueńa‘s Blue Beetle.

What Else Do We Know About 2025’s ‘Superman’?

Superman is in the midst of production right now, with new cast members being revealed as filming progresses. Most recently, it was announced that Pruitt Taylor Vince would play Superman’s father, Jonathan Kent, and Neva Howell will also star as Clark Kent’s mother, Martha. Wendell Pierce will also follow in Laurence Fishburne‘s footsteps as the next Perry White, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet Newspaper.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect is that Superman won’t be another origin story for The Man of Steel. Similar to Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, audiences have seen Clark Kent go through the motions of becoming Superman plenty of times, so Gunn decided to begin with a more experienced Kal-El. He’s also said that Superman lives in a world full of other heroes, but that none of these colleagues will steal the spotlight from what this story is truly about, which is Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luther. The DCEU made the mistake of trying to introduce too many heroes at once, and Gunn plans to avoid this error by building out a rich world full of other characters to enjoy without losing sight of what’s most important.

Superman is expected in theaters on July 11, 2025, and will serve as the launching pad for a new era of DC stories. Stay tuned at Collider for further updates.

On this day in 1938 the first superhero entered our atmosphere via the imaginations of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He gave us someone to believe in, not because of his great physical power, but because of his character and determination to do right no matter what. Happy… pic.twitter.com/fDlevaxcZj

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 18, 2024

via Collider