When James Gunn’s Superman movie was first announced, it was officially titled Superman: Legacy – but the subtitle was later dropped with no explanation. Now, the director has revealed why the one-word name suits the film better, telling fans that everything will become clearer once they see it.
During a set visit earlier this year, the new DC Studios boss recalled how he and his fellow creatives would do ‘pre-mortems’ throughout production, where they’d openly anticipate ways in which the movie could fail. Together, they discuss the script, casting, communication between teams, and more, for the purpose of highlighting what could be improved before it’s too late.
“We go into a room with me and all the department heads and we say, ‘Let’s say this movie is a colossal f***-up,” Gunn told ComicBook. “We find out two years from now when this movie comes out, it goes terribly wrong. What are we doing right now that we’re not talking about, that we’re doing this, making this movie wrong?’
“Everybody is allowed, from transportation to whatever, they’re all allowed to say what they think. And I found it extremely helpful. One of the things was, maybe the title… had a looking back feeling about it, and this isn’t about looking back, this is about looking forward,” he detailed. “When you see the movie, you’ll understand where ‘Legacy’ comes from because it is, again, it’s about Clark and his relationship to the script … and whose legacy is he, really? And so it’s about that. But I think as a title … it felt too looking back.”
Starring Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, and David Corenswet, Superman centers on a younger Kal-El as he juggles his crime-fighting duties with his more human responsibilities at The Daily Planet. Beyond that, it’s a bit of a mystery, though we do know Lex Luthor, one of Superman’s most notorious enemies, will feature. The first teaser trailer, due to drop tomorrow (December 19) should give us some more insight, too.
Superman releases on July 11, 2025. For more, check out all of the other new superhero movies heading our way or our guide to DCU: Chapter One.
