No surprise here. James Gunn is bringing comedy back to the Man of Steel, at least according to the director’s Lois Lane actor Rachel Brosnahan. The star recently told Entertainment Tonight that the new Superman (played by David Corenswet) will “have a sense of humor” and that her iteration of Lois Lane will be “feisty, marvelous and fiercely intelligent.”
“I’ve really enjoyed the collaboration with James Gunn so far,” Brosnahan said. “Every single person involved in this production is such a perfect nerd for Superman. We all grew up watching the movies. Some of us were reading the comics. So I feel like it’s being made with so much love. And I think this Superman will have a sense of humor.”
The actor added, “We’re excited to both put our own spin on things and honor the material we love so much.”
Given that Gunn almost always infuses his work with comedy (see his “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy for Marvel), it’s not too surprising to hear his upcoming “Superman: Legacy” will be bringing out a more humorous side to the Man of Steel. It’s still a notable change given Superman’s last run on the big screen was defined largely by Zack Snyder’s ultra-serious and gritty tone. Henry Cavill played that iteration of the more super-serious Superman.
Joining Corenswet and Brosnahan in “Superman: Legacy” is an ensemble of comic book characters that will launch James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. They include Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced)and more. Last year saw a handful of comic book movie flops, from “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” to “The Flash” and “The Marvels.” Is Gunn worried about superhero fatigue impacting his upcoming DC Universe?
“I think thereissuch a thing as superhero fatigue,” Gunn toldRolling Stonelast year. “I think it doesn’t have anything to do with superheroes. It has to do with the kind of stories that get to be told, and if you lose your eye on the ball, which is character. We love Superman. We love Batman. We love Iron Man. Because they’re these incredible characters that we have in our hearts. And if it becomes just a bunch of nonsense onscreen, it gets really boring.”
“Superman: Legacy” is set to open in theaters July 11, 2025 from Warner Bros.