Surprise character/actor appearances are often one of the most difficult things to keep under wraps with any major superhero movie, especially when early screenings are held.
The studio did manage to keep one particular Superman cameo secret for quite a while, but the rumors did the rounds online a couple of months ago, and director James Gunn now seems to be fully aware that the cat raccoon is out of the bag.
Just in case you haven't been keeping up with the rumors, spoilers follow.
Bradley Cooper is set to play the Man of Steel's biological father, Jor-El, in the movie (Angela Sarafyan will portray Lara Lor-Van), and while speaking to Extra, Gunn explained what led to him casting his friend and Guardians of the Galaxy collaborator as a key figure in Superman's lore.
The filmmaker also shared some new details on what sounds like a very brief part for Cooper - although he doesn't close the door on further DCU appearances for Jor-El down the line.
We also have an international TV spot featuring some new footage.
Superman recently hit box office tracking, with predictions in the $95M-$135M opening weekend range. The movie has already taken in over $10 million from ticket pre-sales.
The DCU reboot 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 includes Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher and María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell will play "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."