Superman | July 11, 2025 | James Gunn writing and directing | David Corenswet is Clark, Rachel Brosnahan is Lois

[excel1]

Gunn has taken an incredible amount of heat over the last 24 hours hence why he is respond on Twitter. He's made a huge mistake and, quite frankly, better be comfortable dealing with these people because they're going anywhere. They're going to rain on the parade of whoever is cast as the next Superman, they're going to be vocal when trailers release, they are going to undermine everything. 

 

Gunn and co. clearly have made a massive strategic blunder with their miscalculation of not weighing the backlash heavily enough and it's a shame. They completely blunted the first major piece of positive enthusiasm surrounding Superman in years basically for hubris. 

 

"We're not going to please everyone" aka "we're going to piss 75% of the peoples whose support we depend on"

Edited December 16, 2022 by excel1

[WittyUsername]

I can safely say that I would have been more receptive to the news that Henry Cavill is done playing Superman, if we hadn’t had a big deal made over his return just two months ago. 

[Lion Roar]

9 minutes ago, excel1 said:

Gunn has taken an incredible amount of heat over the last 24 hours hence why he is respond on Twitter. He's made a huge mistake and, quite frankly, better be comfortable dealing with these people because they're going anywhere. They're going to rain on the parade of whoever is cast as the next Superman, they're going to be vocal when trailers release, they are going to undermine everything. 

 

Gunn and co. clearly did weigh the backlash heavily enough and it's a shame. They completely blunted the first major piece of positive enthusiasm surrounding Superman in years basically for hubris. 

Gunn should never have announced this stuff on twitter in the first place, it's not the kind of move a good CEO would make. He's still thinking like a creative and not like an exec. These plans and announcements should have been saved for SDCC or Fandome and done in a way that softens the blow for Cavill fans while getting people excited for the future. Trades and press releases exist for a reason. 

[excel1]

1 minute ago, Lion Roar said:

Gunn should never have announced this stuff on twitter in the first place, it's not the kind of move a good CEO would make. He's still thinking like a creative and not like an exec. These plans and announcements should have been saved for SDCC or Fandome and done in a way that softens the blow for Cavill fans while getting people excited for the future. Trades and press releases exist for a reason. 

 

I actually think they needed to announce moving on from Cavill ASAP to not let the wrong expectation linger for another second. It is a stupid decision of course, but as soon as said stupid decision was made, they needed to get it out there to begin the acceptance and moving on process. 

[TestPattern]

15 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

I can safely say that I would have been more receptive to the news that Henry Cavill is done playing Superman, if we hadn’t had a big deal made over his return just two months ago. 

That wasn't really Gunn's fault, really, it's Seven Bucks Production for brining Cavill back and not negotiating a new contract for him at the same time 

[grim22]

10 minutes ago, excel1 said:

 

I actually think they needed to announce moving on from Cavill ASAP to not let the wrong expectation linger for another second. It is a stupid decision of course, but as soon as said stupid decision was made, they needed to get it out there to begin the acceptance and moving on process. 

 

I completely agree with you. There was no sense in playing the "is he in or is he out" game any longer than necessary.

 

I'm surprised they even got Cavill to add in to the comments without any equivocation or open ended statements. Both comments were like "Yeah, Cavill is done as Superman". Smart to rip off the band aid ASAP.

 

As to what happened with the initial Cavill negotiations and the Comic Con and later drama which led to the cameo in Black Adam

 

I'll get into it when I can, I promise. It's both everything you expect and nothing you expect at the same time.

 

[excel1]

11 minutes ago, grim22 said:

As to what happened with the initial Cavill negotiations and the Comic Con and later drama which led to the cameo in Black Adam

 

I'll get into it when I can, I promise. It's both everything you expect and nothing you expect at the same time.

 

 

pm? I must know.

[Macleod]

2 hours ago, excel1 said:

Gunn has taken an incredible amount of heat over the last 24 hours hence why he is respond on Twitter. He's made a huge mistake and, quite frankly, better be comfortable dealing with these people because they're going anywhere. They're going to rain on the parade of whoever is cast as the next Superman, they're going to be vocal when trailers release, they are going to undermine everything. 

 

Gunn and co. clearly have made a massive strategic blunder with their miscalculation of not weighing the backlash heavily enough and it's a shame. They completely blunted the first major piece of positive enthusiasm surrounding Superman in years basically for hubris. 

 

"We're not going to please everyone" aka "we're going to piss 75% of the peoples whose support we depend on"

 

 

The fact that some significant number of "fans" even believe that Cavill is the greatest thing since sliced bread (when virtually no one else in the industry thinks so...and buzz even says quite the opposite, that he's "difficult" to deal with) is enough for me to be happy Gunn/Safran and Warner Bros. are severing that Snyder-chain completely.  It's over.  The fans will eventually move on when they see a bright, shiny, likely more optimistic new Superman. 

[kayumanggi]

8 hours ago, WittyUsername said:

I can safely say that I would have been more receptive to the news that Henry Cavill is done playing Superman, if we hadn’t had a big deal made over his return just two months ago. 

 

I blame The Rock for that. And WB.

[cax16]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/why-henry-cavill-is-no-longer-superman-1235283791/

[John Marston]

15 minutes ago, cax16 said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/why-henry-cavill-is-no-longer-superman-1235283791/

 

 

 

A film with Cavill against Braniac seemed like it would be appealing and Steven Knight seems to have a solid resume. Gunn better make something that blows people away otherwise people will not be happy

[cax16]

2 minutes ago, John Marston said:

 

 

 

A film with Cavill against Braniac seemed like it would be appealing and Steven Knight seems to have a solid resume. Gunn better make something that blows people away otherwise people will not be happy

In one of the other articles it said the studio wasn’t happy with what Knight turned in so who knows how good that would be. I’m confident Gunn will make a good movie. 

[Porthos]

Okay, REAL TALK from someone who has fought in the trenches for literally decades in the Battle of Simmering, Discontented Fans.

 

All of this drama, LITERALLY ***ALL*** OF THIS DRAMA isn't gonna matter one whit if the next Superman movie looks good.

 

You get a teaser trailer out there that evokes the best of Superman, that evokes the underlying themes of Hope and Wonder and just plain old fashioned positivity, and people are gonna eat that shit up.

 

...

 

However, the flip side to this is: The reservoir of good will/benefit of the doubt ain't as deep as it could be. Not by a long shot.  It's not so much a high wire act as a "there will be people ready on the sidelines ready to pounce".  That is the real danger here.

 

Now whatever the next Superman film ends up being doesn't have to be fantastic.  It does have to be good. And the better it is, the less the discontent matters.

 

I hate to be That Guy*, but all I have to do is point at Star Wars.  After the... mixed reaction from The Last Jedi, Solo suffered. But, IMO, mostly because it just didn't stand out enough on its own. On the other hand, The Mandalorian fucking knocked it out of the park despite a discontented fan base.

* this is a lie

 

Never mind TROS, reception to The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi... could have been better.  But reception to Andor has been near stratospheric. 

 

The gaming sphere in SW land is fairly similar.  The initial reception to Battlefront II was... Rocky.  Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, on the other hand, has entered the pantheon of All Time SW Games. The good reception to Fallen Order was nearly instantaneous. It didn't take long at all to overcome the skepticism, is more or less what I am saying.

 

Will there be an element of Prove It for whatever the next Supes film is that wouldn't have been there for not this messiness?  Of course.  But I tend to think it was always gonna be there simply due to the state of things on the DC side.  This has just upped the degree of difficulty another half-notch or so.

 

tl;dr:

 

All Gunn has to do is make a good Superman Film and the rest will follow.

 

No pressure.

 

(yes, the inherent irony in "no pressure" is intentional)

 

[excel1]

Disagree to a point. Pissed Cavill fans will be undermining everything now ala Battinson. The Batman is no doubt a borderline box office disappointment, don't think they didn't make a difference.

[ChipDerby]

Lmao dude

[excel1]

Superman: Jacob Elordi

Lois Lane: someone

Lex Luthor: Cillian Murphy

Jor-el: Brendan Fraser

Perry White: John Goodman

Jonathon Kent: Josh Hartnett

Martha Kent: Sarah Michelle Gellar 

[Macleod]

I won't buy into your pitch, @excel1 unless you actually dare to suggest some casting for Lois Lane besides this stranger called "someone."  COMMIT!  MAKE A PITCH!  😁

 

It's one of the most important screen pairings in popular film history, and it absolutely needs to work on screen.  That's one further thing that arguably didn't work about Cavill and Amy Adams.  No chemistry.  (Though she's so good she nearly convinces you, anyway.)

Edited December 19, 2022 by Macleod

[jking123]

its better this way tbh. More curious on how they reboot batman and Wonder Woman, aquman( rebooting a billion dollar character after 2 movie is strange(wonder if aquabro 2 will do just as good...)).

 

Hoping on news soon on the slate as a whole and this movie

[JWR]

On 12/16/2022 at 4:36 PM, John Marston said:

 

 

 

A film with Cavill against Braniac seemed like it would be appealing and Steven Knight seems to have a solid resume. Gunn better make something that blows people away otherwise people will not be happy

 

While I'm sure it would have turned out nice, there was just too much baggage surrounding this iteration of Superman.

 

3 hours ago, jking123 said:

its better this way tbh. More curious on how they reboot batman and Wonder Woman, aquman( rebooting a billion dollar character after 2 movie is strange(wonder if aquabro 2 will do just as good...)).

 

Hoping on news soon on the slate as a whole and this movie

 

I wouldn't expect any casting announcements for at least another year or two. 

[excel1]

20 hours ago, Macleod said:

I won't buy into your pitch, @excel1 unless you actually dare to suggest some casting for Lois Lane besides this stranger called "someone."  COMMIT!  MAKE A PITCH!  😁

 

It's one of the most important screen pairings in popular film history, and it absolutely needs to work on screen.  That's one further thing that arguably didn't work about Cavill and Amy Adams.  No chemistry.  (Though she's so good she nearly convinces you, anyway.)

 

Ok, fine.

 

Superman: Jacob Elordi

Lois Lane: Kiernan Shipka

Lex Luthor: Cillian Murphy

Jor-el: Brendan Fraser

Gen. Sam Lane: Jon Hamm

Martha Kent: Reese Witherspoon

Perry White: John Goodman

Jonathon Kent: Josh Hartnett

John Corben: Joel Edgerton

Brainiac: Jason Isaacs

 

Synopsis: 2 part intro-film (Superman is too big for just one introductory film) interweaving plots:

 

Part 1) Young, reserved Clark Kent commits good deeds in the shadows, living out of Kansas and quietly admiring young influencer turned media star Lois Lane's open and aggressive quest for truth and justice. With the support of his parents, Clark moves to Metropolis to work at the Daily Planet, ensuring quick access to breaking news. Circumstances prompt him to reveal himself to the public and own his heroism, while his romance with Lois Lane quickly blooms as she quickly uncovers his secret identity. Jonathan dies after Superman's first appearance. Meanwhile, the American Government authorized General Sam Lane to lead a covert operation collecting the worlds supply of a mysterious green rock substance, assisted by John Corben. Billionaire tech mogul Lex Luthor's researchers came into possession of a true UFO several years earlier and have been secretly working with the government to prepare a response to what they feel is an imminent alien invasion. These efforts are hampered by cyber terror group Havoc, which somehow know of their plans are secretly sabotaging efforts. When Superman turns out to be friendly, the gov. tries to shut down the program, forcing the skeptical Lex Luthor and Corben to proceed aggressively off the books, Sam Lane caught in middle. Ending would reveal Luthor is behind the cyber-terror group and uses it to take total control of all kryptonite. Corben becomes Metallo. Luthor is defeated when Sam Lane betrays him in the end. Films ends with Superman as a committed hero of Earth, creating the fortress of solitude where he meets Jor-el, while Luthor on the run as a Bin Laden type figure. Post credit scene reveals Luthor and his men reaching the UFO pod they discovered, hidden at a secret location. Luthor TURNS IT ON. Cut to black.

 

2) Flashbacks reveal Brainiac invading Krpyton and murdering Jor-el and co. before the planet explodes. Superman connects with Jor-el in the fortress. Government can't find Luthor. Cue BIG ASS ALIEN INVASION ala Independence Day style. Luthor's ship activation called Brainiac's forces to Earth. Superman vs. alien movie. Film ends with Superman as true global hero and entering his prime. Just in time for "JUSTICE LEAGUE FOR REAL".

Edited December 20, 2022 by excel1