The first trailer for Superman received widespread praise when it dropped last week but we can never have nice things for long. Talking on The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider and John Rocha shared what they've heard about recent test screenings and...it's not great.
For context, you may recall that, on December 6, The Hollywood Reporter revealed the following:
"We've heard from multiple sources about one screening in particular, on the lot and with his close-knit crew of people he trusts. We're keeping the buzz about the movie itself in our own Fortress of Solitude, but we can tell you that the movie will be doing a few days of additional shooting in Los Angeles in the near term."
Sneider claims to have met with a source who "knew multiple people who had seen Superman" and states, "[The] buzz is not good. I'm hearing bad things. I'm hearing 'you should be worried things.' It sounds like James Gunn is aware of some of the feedback."
That's supposedly why reshoots are taking place, though James Gunn has said those are "pickup shots" and "No scenes. No reshoots." However, another source in the editing world told the reporter that there are "plenty of reason to be nervous" about Superman.
Rocha also shared, "Someone who's seen Superman told me it has the tone of the first Captain America movie and the Mummy films. They said Nicholas Hoult is the standout and the film is 'decent' but a large chunk of the film was unfinished with only a third of the film's VFX done."
"[It has] the least amount of humour of any Gunn film but there's still humour throughout the film," he continued. "Most people will be satisfied with the movie and it should be received well enough to continue Gunn's DCU."
He also claims Supergirl will be in the movie, though we've known that's likely to be the case for a while now.
So, should you take this seriously? As Sneider later pointed out, plenty of hit movies have had early negative buzz - including the critically acclaimed Barbie - following test screenings. Remember, the reason those happen is to figure out the issues and fix them before we all sit down in theaters.
It's also worth noting that just because a handful of people didn't like what they saw doesn't mean the rest weren't much bigger fans of what Gunn dreamed up with Superman. They're just not talking about it. Regardless, it will be interesting to see what else comes out and whether Gunn responds.
In other DCU news, Sneider believes that Robert Pattinson and Gunn both want to bring The Batman into the DCU but it's Reeves who is pushing back. As for Andy Muschietti, he's still attached to The Brave and the Bold but it doesn't appear the movie is a priority for DC Studios.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.