Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom is slated to be the final DCEU movie before Superman: Legacy welcomes fans into James Gunn’s new DCU. After announcing his upcoming slate of DC movies and shows, the DC Studios president confirmed that he is also writing the next Superman movie.
While the Co-CEO of DC Studios had then confessed that he hopes Gunn “can be persuaded, perhaps, to direct it as well," comic writer Tom King recently confirmed in an interview that Gunn will indeed be directing the project.
Gunn has now officially announced that Superman: Legacy will be the next movie that he will take on after being done with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. To make things more exciting for fans, it seems that we already have a synopsis for it!
The synopsis of Superman: Legacy promises to center kindness in the story of the superhero
James Gunn has devoted a whole Twitter thread to revealing that he is taking on the next project featuring the Man of Steel. After fans got to read his heartfelt story, Warner Bros. Discovery also revealed the first plot synopsis for the film, which has been mentioned below:
"Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned."
Gunn's film will kick off with a young Clark Kent in Metropolis, who will become a symbol of hope and truth for everyone on Earth. But it will not be another origin story.
Previously, Co-CEO Peter Safran spoke to Variety and confirmed that Superman: Legacy movie “is not an origin story.” He said:
“It’s not an origin story. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth justice and the American way. He is ‘kindness’ in a world that thinks that kindness as old-fashioned.”
So, fans are about to get the kind of Superman movie they’ve always hoped for, packed with action that best defines the superhero's cinematic legacy. However, instead of being dark and gritty, the tone will be on the lighter side, with a lot of heart being added to the story by writer/director James Gunn.
Who will be the next Superman?
In the past, Gunn has stated that he’d only look at the casting process once he is done with the script. Since he has been writing the film since late 2022 and has already taken the director’s chair, it is safe to assume that he might now be close to finishing the script. Hence, the casting call for a young Clark Kent may be out, and it won’t be surprising if the actor gets announced within the next couple of months.
So far, the names of actors like David Corenswet, Jacob Elordi, Liam Hemsworth, Leo Suter, Alexander Ludwig, and even Bill Skarsgård have been brought up by fans, but Gunn is yet to pick his ideal Man of Steel. It could be one of the aforementioned names or a new one that we haven’t heard of yet.
Anything is possible for now. All we know is that a new Superman will be picked this year as the movie is supposed to be filmed in 2024.
Superman: Legacy is set to release on July 11, 2025.