SUPERMAN: LEGACY Director James Gunn May Have Just Debunked One Of The Reboot's Biggest Villain Rumors

SUPERMAN: LEGACY Director James Gunn May Have Just Debunked One Of The Reboot's Biggest Villain Rumors

Rumours have persisted for weeks that The Authority will be the main antagonists of Superman: Legacy, but director James Gunn appears to have debunked that...or has he? Read his comments in full here!

By JoshWilding - Jul 11, 2023 05:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman: Legacy

While David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have now been cast as Superman: Legacy's Clark Kent and Lois Lane, there's an awful lot we don't know about the upcoming reboot. 

Filmmaker James Gunn is looking to cast Lex Luthor, though there's been some disappointment that the bald-headed villain will once again take centre stage in place of underutilized fan favourites like Brainiac and Metallo. Will The Authority take aim at the Man of Tomorrow, though?

We've previously heard that members of the group will be introduced in Superman: Legacy, with Hawksmoor, the Engineer, Eve, and the Doctor said to be among those the DC Studios co-CEO wants to cast. 

The prevailing theory is that The Authority will be the reboot's primary antagonists, but Gunn has now gone some way in debunking those claims. Of course, these comments could also be interpreted as the team initially appearing as Stormwatch before receiving a new moniker down the line. 

Whatever the case may be, it's a bold move on Gunn's part to add these obscure heroes to the mix, especially when fans are so desperate to see Kal-El go toe-to-toe with the more iconic members of his rogues' gallery. 

DC Studios isn't expected to have a presence at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, so until we get additional casting news, we remain largely in the dark about what Gunn has planned for this movie. However, Lex Luthor is expected to be the next major role which is cast and the director has also debunked recent reports about Superman: Legacy being a "workplace origin story" (whatever that means). 

"Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas," reads the movie's synopsis. "He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned."

Superman: Legacy is set to be released in theaters on July 11. 2025.

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TheManWithoutFear
TheManWithoutFear - 7/11/2023, 5:58 AM
I fully don't understand these desperate people that tweet questions at James Gunn. Like asking for a hint about who the villain will be?? Why??? Just wait to find out. It's so stupid.
NegativeNerd
NegativeNerd - 7/11/2023, 7:41 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - Very. Sometimes I wish Gunn would just ignore them.
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/11/2023, 9:40 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - What's even more stupid is that he responds to EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.
Clintthahamster
Clintthahamster - 7/11/2023, 10:04 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - Maybe they're just trying to get fodder for their CBM blog ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 7/11/2023, 10:59 AM
@TheManWithoutFear - Well it gives Josh something to write about. Then we read it. Then we comment.
Then we go to bed.
Separate beds.
Then we wakeup and read another Josh article he copy/pasted from Gunn's twitter and we read it and comment.
KWilly
KWilly - 7/11/2023, 6:00 AM
He's learned from Kevin Feige how to deny things without being concrete. It's a perfect PR tactic.

Bet Gunn was like this to Feige once he go the DC job...



soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/11/2023, 9:41 AM
@KWilly - Hope not, only about 1/3 of all Marvel films are any good.
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 7/11/2023, 10:52 AM
@soberchimera - what does the quality of the movies have to do with PR skills?
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/11/2023, 12:03 PM
@Urubrodi - Feige's job was more than just public relations.
Himura
Himura - 7/11/2023, 2:38 PM
@soberchimera - But @KWilly isnt talking about Feige's job. They're talking about his handling of PR...
soberchimera
soberchimera - 7/11/2023, 3:26 PM
@Himura - I've never been blown away by Feige's PR tactics, he never acknowledges mistakes, missteps, or clashes with writers/directors/actors that we ALL know have happened behind the scenes. I'd be more impressed with some frank transparency from him every now and then.
JayBarrick
JayBarrick - 7/11/2023, 6:01 AM
I think most people in the media are having troubles upon imagining a Superman movie that's not about his origins and/or depends on the Daily Planet.

Classic Superman iconography is so heavily tied to journalism that I assumed this movie would try to return to these tropes. I guess Gunn is truly testing new grounds
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/11/2023, 6:05 AM
Introducing Luthor and getting him right is almost as important as getting Superman right in this reboot. You can take or leave your Metallo’s and Parasite’s, but Luthor is integral to the mythos and the wider DCU as a whole. Not sure what people don’t get about that.
YouCray04
YouCray04 - 7/11/2023, 7:07 AM
@PlusUltra - 100%
Forthas
Forthas - 7/11/2023, 8:08 AM
@PlusUltra - Agreed! A lot of the great CBM's are great because of a great villain. I actually believe that is why the Joker film was so popular. Because the previous iteration was so captivating.
Superspecialawesomeguy
Superspecialawesomeguy - 7/11/2023, 8:13 AM
@PlusUltra - Man I hope Nicholas Hoult gets the role as Lex, not that I don't think the Skarsgård brothers would do a bad job or anything (especially Alex imo), I just think that Hoult and Corenswet would play off one another better (also I don't think Lex should be the same height as Superman personally lol).



If not them I still think Austin Butler would make a great Lex as well.




McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/11/2023, 1:24 PM
@PlusUltra - Eisenberg was such a disastrous go at it. Snyder choked so hard with that one...amongst other things ofc.
1stDalek
1stDalek - 7/11/2023, 2:06 PM
@PlusUltra - It's true, and I'd argue the same goes for Joker and Catwoman for Batman.
Himura
Himura - 7/11/2023, 2:40 PM
@PlusUltra - Well, Metallo and Parasite are pretty intertwined with Lex too...
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 7/11/2023, 6:14 PM
@1stDalek - And I’d be inclined to agree.
TempleRod
TempleRod - 7/11/2023, 6:43 AM
Love how Gunn isn't afraid to just speak truly on social media.
THIS IS THE MAN that we need at this time.

It's very REFRESHING.
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 7/11/2023, 7:40 AM
@TempleRod - If you want superhero movies on the level of a Cheech & Chong movie, Gunn is what you need.
Repian
Repian - 7/11/2023, 6:50 AM
I want Gunn to explore Lex's family background. Maybe Sadie Sink as Lex's little sister, Lena Luthor. Lena suffers from multiple sclerosis and she is in a wheelchair.

bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 7/11/2023, 9:43 AM
@Repian - I'm not that familiar with her comics, but the wheelchair bit is from the comics? Otherwise its pretty random imo
Repian
Repian - 7/11/2023, 9:51 AM
@bkmeijer1 -
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 7/11/2023, 11:25 AM
@Repian - now I can see it. Don't know the story, but I like it when adaptations draw from very specific sources
PartyKiller
PartyKiller - 7/11/2023, 7:38 AM
Of all the movies that make the future look bad for Gunn's DCU, Transformers Rise Of The Beasts is probably the most recent one that hits the spot. Fans were satisfied with it but it's not going to crack $500 million. There was a time when a halfway decent movie with popular IPs and big budget CGI was guaranteed over $800 million at the box office. It looks like people around the world are sick of such movies.

With WB's money woes, Gunn won't have a long leash. After his first two movies fail, WB will want to trim his budgets. Risky movies that will require a huge budget will be cut. After Gunn's third or fourth fail, his services will no longer be needed.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/11/2023, 1:26 PM
@PartyKiller - shit take.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 7/11/2023, 7:41 AM
"I never said The Authority would be present."

"I didn't say it was a workplace origin story (it's not)."

There's a "(they're not)" missing from that first one.
Tell us that The Authority are in the movie without telling us that the Authority are in the movie.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 7/11/2023, 9:26 AM
I feel like Superman Legacy will crash and burn. It'll be riding off the anti-hype of repeated DC box office bombs and being overshadowed partially by the notion of James Gunn lying about whether it'll be connected, the controversy of ditching Henry Cavill for a younger replacement, the ever present Snyder fans and the weight of Warner Bros continuing to fall further into debt.

Some of James Gunn's projects will be too far along in the pipeline at that stage to cancel, so he'd probably get like two or three films and a show to see whether the audience will turn up.

Feels like he is repeating the mistakes of the past though. We're going from a Superman solo movie that won't even tackle his origin and is already going to be sharing the spotlight with a world of other heroes to a Justice League film in the form of The Authority, then we get an older Batman movie where he is being phased out and replaced by Damian Wayne. Feels like the handling of this franchise is all wrong.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 7/11/2023, 1:27 PM
@Scarilian - we know you tell us every article in a lot of words. Starting think you just enjoy reading your own posts.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 7/12/2023, 12:22 PM
@McMurdo -
Everyone is making similar posts as we are limited on discussion topics. When more news/info comes people will say different things about it. I'd love to discuss new aspects but this article gave us nothing new.

Personally, feels a bit obsessive if you've been going through articles looking for my posts. You can easily choose to not read or respond to my posts if you aren't interested in my viewpoints. It's kinda on you at this point.
marvel72
marvel72 - 7/11/2023, 9:42 AM
Give me....



PC04
PC04 - 7/11/2023, 9:42 AM
Maybe one day we'll get Metallo or Parasite.
marvel72
marvel72 - 7/11/2023, 10:16 AM
@PC04 - I'm tired of seeing Lex Luthor all the time,he can be in it but have him team with another villain we haven't seen before.
PC04
PC04 - 7/11/2023, 10:28 AM
@marvel72 - Dude, same. I get that Lex is an important character and I don't think he should be entirely absent from Superman movies. However, having Supes go up against a weird, alien, even grossish-horror esque threat like Parasite or whoever could be so fun. I don't know why we can't get these types of villains on film.
Himura
Himura - 7/11/2023, 2:44 PM
@PC04 - Probably because it makes sense to set up Lex before Metallo and Parasite? Metallo and Parasite were both basically created by Lex.
PC04
PC04 - 7/11/2023, 3:16 PM
@Himura - Sure that makes sense in the past. But there's precedent for changes especially in the film medium. E.G. In the MCU, Tony Stark creates Ultron, but in the comics Hank Pym creates Ultron. Slight modifications can open new doors.
Imprtracr1
Imprtracr1 - 7/11/2023, 10:40 AM
This movie sucks until it proves otherwise.

and I hope it proves otherwise.
CaptainCheese
CaptainCheese - 7/11/2023, 12:25 PM
All a no nothing burger. Can we just wait till the film comes out AND then talk about how good or bad it is?
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