Warner Bros.' now defunct DCEU began with Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, and while the divisive director didn't go on to helm every movie in the franchise, he was instrumental in shaping what eventually came to be known as the "SnyderVerse" era.
A relaunch of the DC Comics-based franchise was announced last year, with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran taking over as co-CEOs of the newly implemented DC Studios. Gunn is currently in the process of helming the first official DCU film, Superman Legacy.
While doing the rounds to promote Rebel Moon - Part 2: The Scargiver, Snyder was asked how he feels about the new DCU.
“You know, I’m a pretty open book. I really feel like, you know, if the characters are treated with reverence, and mythologically correct, then I’m down. I’m in,” he told CBR. “Let’s see what happens. I’m pretty excited. I mean, we’re going to get Superman pretty soon, so we’ll see what that’s like.”
When asked on Threads if he'd seen Snyder's comments about being "excited for the DCU," Gunn responded: “I didn’t, but I knew it already because he’s texted me. He’s been incredibly supportive throughout this process."
Some die-hard Snyder fans who want to see a restoration of the SnyderVerse choose to believe that some kind of animosity exists between these filmmakers, but that's clearly not the case.
Gunn was also asked about the planned Lanterns Max series, and shared three disco-dancing emojis in response. This has led to speculation that the show will feature three ring-slinging heroes as the leads. We're not sure if that's what he meant, but we'll take his cryptic reply as a good sign!
Finally, Gunn was asked to "blink twice" if any DCU projects other than Superman and Creature Commandos are preparing to film, and responded with a GIF of Lana Del Rey... blinking twice (possible "Gods and Monsters" nod). We know that Peacemaker season 2 is currently shooting, so he may simply be referring to that, but there might well be another movie or series about to commence production.
Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. The film stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer. The ensemble also includes Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Sean Gunn, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Isabel Merced and Nathan Fillion.
“Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on SUPERMAN today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman’s birthday,” Gunn captioned the first official photo earlier this year. “When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film ‘Superman: Legacy.’ By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN,” he added. “Making our way to you July 2025.”
Filming had been taking place in Svalbard, Norway, but is now believed to have moved to Atlanta, Georgia.