James Gunn is not someone who panders to anyone when it comes to his filmmaking choices. Superman is set to be one of the biggest movies of the year, and that is not going to change no matter how many critics or Henry Cavill fans decide they don’t like it and slap around a few one-star reviews. However, Gunn has now revealed that the movie does have a little bit of an agenda, as it is about one of the most divisive topics of the modern world: politics.
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While, on the surface, Superman is the quintessential superhero movie, with big bright colors, set-piece monsters, a power-hungry villain, and plenty of spectacular effects, it seems that behind all the stuff that will keep the kids entertained for two-hours is a story about the America that is right on the doorstep of everyone; an America that is all about greed, self-righteousness, and a general lack of human kindness. Gunn told The Times:
“I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost. Yes, it plays differently, but it’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.
“Yes, it’s about politics. But on another level it’s about morality. Do you never kill no matter what — which is what Superman believes — or do you have some balance, as Lois believes? It’s really about their relationship and the way different opinions on basic moral beliefs can tear two people apart.”
James Gunn Is Taking Superman Back To His Roots in The Most Modern Way
Warner Bros.
When Superman made his first appearance in 1938, he was not a big, brooding god-like figure taking on mighty aliens and getting angry at everyone. He was a man in a tight, bright-colored suit with his trunks on the outside, flying around Metropolis picking up criminals and dropping them off at the police station to be dealt with by the law. He saved people from harm when accidents occurred, and generally, was just being nice.
That is something that has changed over the years as people have watched Superman’s evolution, which has sometimes taken a darker turn that, in time, became the overriding perception of what Superman is. For James Gunn, it is clear that he is now working to bring back the Superman he grew up with and not the kind of modern-day interpretation that Henry Cavill became in Man of Steel and Justice League. That means that while his Superman has all the latest technology to make him look good on screen, the heart of the movie is right back with Christopher Reeve’s original outing as Superman and the comic books that preceded the 1978 film that brought him to life on the big screen for the first time.
Review embargoes are set to lift later in the week, when we will see how critics feel this version of Superman stacks up before the all-important audience reactions begin to pour in after the film’s release. Only then will we see if this old-school Superman really has what it takes to fly high in the modern world.
Source: The Times
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
- Runtime
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130 Minutes
- Director
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James Gunn
- Producers
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Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran