Initial word from the first internal screenings of Superman was not especially positive, but reports from more recent test-screenings of James Gunn's DCU reboot definitely sounded more optimistic.
Now, we have a few more details to share. This comes via reliable (or at least semi-reliable) sources, but should still be taken as rumor for the time being.
Popular Portuguese fan-site DC da Depressão is reporting the following.
Nicholas Hoult is great as Lex Luthor (not the first time we've heard this); The VFX/CGI look a lot better than it did in the first trailer; There are some surprise villains; Rachel Brosnahan is "funny and adorable" as Lois Lane; There is quite a bit of humor, as well as more emotional moments; The tone is said to be "closer to the first Wonder Woman film and the first Guardians of the Galaxy."
We're not sure how this will be received, but the site is also reporting that David Corenswet's take on the Man of Steel is reminiscent of Brandon Routh's version of the hero from Superman Returns.
For what it's worth, John Campea has heard that the movie is "tremendously good," and we were told that Superman is "emotional and funny," with more sci-fi elements than you might expect.
Of course, even if this is accurate, most of it is just opinion - although the part about the surprise villains is interesting.
Here's what Gunn had to say about the early screenings and reshoots reports during the recent DCU slate update.
"We've done real screenings. Definitely learning stuff all the time, definitely editing and making little changes. You know, we might shoot a couple little, tiny things. All my additional photography is so hard, because it's like, I used to be kind of against it. Because, you know, you don’t want to have to shoot again. It's a pain in the ass."
"I really [like] being able to say, 'You know what? I wish I had a shot that fist hitting that...' And so I tend to go back and pick that kind of stuff up. So it wouldn't be anything major, but those kinds of things, yeah, I'll cover you a couple more things like that," he added.
Superman also stars Isabel Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.
Sara Sampaio is on board as Lex's assistant/lover Eve Teschmacher, 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 earlier this 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 an updated 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."