Although Superman was a relatively self-contained story (there was no blatant sequel set-up, anyway), the movie wasn't entirely devoid of (potential) hints and teases relating to what could be in store for the DCU going forward.
James Gunn has already confirmed that he is working on a follow-up, but it won't be a direct sequel. This has understandably resulted in a lot of speculation, but the filmmaker isn't quite ready to reveal any details just yet.
When asked about the "semi-, not-exactly sequel to Superman" during an interview with Rolling Stone, all Gunn would offer is: "I mean, it follows Superman. What am I gonna say? I don’t know what to say."
"I think people like Superman because it’s unexpected in certain respects, and I think that what we do next is gonna be unexpected," he added. "I just follow that. Listen, do I notice that people love Mr. Terrific and they love Krypto? Yes. I notice those things."
Elsewhere in the interview, Gunn did hint at certain things we might see, including the return of the villainous Ultraman ("maybe"), and the introduction of certain characters from the mural that was spotted in the Hall of Justice.
"Oh, there was a ton of thought put into it. A ton of thought," Gunn said of the mural's importance. "Not necessarily specifically see all of them," he added when asked if we will be seeing these characters in the DCU at some point. "But yes, some of them we already have in the works in different things in different ways."
The characters that have been identified (so far) are: Jay Garrick, Wildcat, Super-Chief, Shining Knight, Silent Knight, Gunfire, Atomic Knight, Vibe, Dr. Fate, Freedom Beast, Black Pirate, Alan Scott, Dolphin and Amethyst.
Gunn was also asked if he has any plans to introduce the 31st century team known as The Legion of Superheros, specifically.
"I’ve thought about it. I’m not a time-travel person. I like science fiction, but time travel’s a rough one for me. I am not into that. I’m not really into teleportation [either]. I have weird things that just aren’t for me. Now, you can say that the pocket universe is teleportation, but I don’t think of it as that. I think of it as traveling from one point in dimensional space to another as opposed to teleporting, which I think of as the person dying and being recreated."
Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/the Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
The cast also Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as "Ma" and "Pa" Kent, and Milly Alcock's Supergirl has been confirmed to make her debut ahead of her own Woman of Tomorrow movie.
"And that’s a wrap," Gunn posted last year when filming concluded. "God bless our cast and crew whose commitment, creativity, and hard work have brought this project to life. I set out to make a movie about a good man in a world that isn’t always so much. And the goodness and kindness and love I’ve encountered on a daily basis on the set has inspired me and thrust me forward when I felt too spent to move on my own.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It has been an honor. The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set - and for that I am forever grateful."
You can check out a synopsis for the movie below.
"In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind."