David S. Goyer is no stranger to the DC Universe. He helped write Batman Begins, and worked on the stories for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. Later, he penned the scripts for Zack Snyder's DCEU movies, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Goyer also counts Marvel's Blade trilogy and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance among his writing credits (he even stepped behind the camera to helm Blade: Trinity), and is someone whose work frequently draws mixed reviews from fans.
Talking to Cinemablend about The Sandman, Goyer shared his verdict on DC Studios and James Gunn's Superman movie. The polar opposite of his and Snyder's moody take on the character, Superman has received praise from critics and comic book readers for its hopeful, optimistic interpretation of the Kryptonian.
"I really liked it. People always assume that because I did The Dark Knight, I wouldn't like The Batman, but I really enjoyed it," Goyer shared. "Each generation gets the Superman they need. It felt like the pendulum with Man of Steel, obviously that was a much darker grounded version, and, and we're in a very different place, and I love that just the tagline that 'Kindness is punk rock.'"
"I think that [David] Corenswet is incredibly appealing. I never would have thought to use Krypto, and Krypto was delightful. And then I think the guy that stole the show was Mr. Terrific, who Geoff Johns and I basically turned into a real character in the Justice Society."
"So I was thrilled, I thought Mr. Terrific was awesome. Metamorpho, same. I love seeing a live action Metamorpho, and those are the kind of things that James Gunn can get away with, and God bless him because I love all these those weird quirky tertiary DC characters," he added. "I really enjoyed it and I was rooting for it, so I'm happy it's been successful."
Superman has received positive reviews but is struggling at the box office overseas, largely due to what many insiders believe is anti-American sentiment fueled by the actions of President Donald Trump.
Gunn even acknowledged that in a recent interview, when he said, "it also affects things that we have a certain amount of anti-American sentiment around the world right now. It isn’t really helping us. So I think it’s just a matter of letting something grow. But again, for us, everything’s been a total win."
"Having the movie come out and be something that has been embraced by people everywhere — this is just the seed of the tree that Peter [Safran] and I have been watering for the past three years," he continued. "So to be able to have it start off so positively has been incredibly overwhelming."
As the filmmaker suggests, Superman does have all the makings of a moderate hit and should serve a strong enough start for the DCU after the damage done to the brand by Warner Bros. during the hit-and-miss days of the DCEU (which ended in 2023 with a run of critical and commercial disappointments).
Superman is expected to be front and centre in the next movie Gunn is writing, though we still don't know whether that's World's Finest, Superman vs. The Authority, or something else entirely.
Superman is now playing in theaters.