James Gunn has always loved superheroes, even as a young filmmaker.
In a recent press junket for the upcoming Superman movie, the writer, director and chief executive officer of DC Studios said he imagined bringing to life the figurehead of DC in a different way.
“I’ve always liked Superman. I started reading the comics when I was three or four years old. I love a lot of DC and Marvel superheroes,” he said.
Gunn, who helmed the Marvel movies Guardians of the Galaxy and the DC Suicide Squad, just saw one day what the movie (Superman) would be in his head.
He mused that it could be the Superman he fell in love with in the comic books or the Man of Steel living in a world where he’s friends with other superheroes, a flying dog and giant monsters.
“It’s a world that I imagined as a child. I wanted to create that feeling I had as a young child in a film that adults and children can enjoy. Where there is this other universe, but they’re grounded. There are real people who have problems and issues with relationships, who have flaws,” Gunn said.
Superman is DC Studios’ first feature film to hit the big screen. In his signature style, Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart.
“To have a character as good as his heart in a world that isn’t always nice is incredible. I think he’s the type of guy that we need in this world today,” he said.
Gunn has said this about movie: “This project is more than just a movie to me. It’s a story about humanity, about what it means to be a hero in a world that doesn’t always make it easy to be one.”
Helming one of the most anticipated superhero film has brought him so much happiness and sense of fulfillment.
“It was a joy in my life really to be able to bring Superman to the screen this way. Just giving the character more life, more ideas about who he is,” Gunn added.
‘String bean’
As he dons the red cape, Superman/Clark Kent himself David Corenswet is taking the words of Christopher Reeves to heart.
“The actors went on strike. We didn’t talk for months. We didn’t have any contact with the studio for several months. I thought it was just a minor request, but in Christopher Reeves’ words: ‘I’ve been a string bean my whole life and Superman is not a string bean,’” Corenswet said.
He put as much weight as he could healthily, going to the gym five to six days a week, for two and a half hours or three hours a day.
“I have not done that in my life. All my time I’ve spent eating. But I felt deeply alone because it’s just me and the weights. When you take on a physical transformation like that, it’s just you against your own mind,” he said.
It was also during that moment that the 31 year-old actor knew he tapped into something essential as Superman.
“He also struggles feeling alone and isolated from the people he loves the most, the people he wants and ultimately humanity. He desperately wants to be a part of it though he knows and feels that he isn’t ultimately quite like them,” Corenswet said.
Modern Lois Lane
For Rachel Brosnahan, Lois Lane is the character that has evolved the most in the history of the comics.
“Her look has evolved and the primary lens on how she is has evolved,” she said.
Yet, Gunn has laid out this beautiful roadmap that is equally weighted: A superhero with super powers and a character who is a superhero in her own right.
“She’s an everyday superhero. Just like Superman, she’s not knocked off her balance easily. She can logic her way just about anything. She’s 10 steps ahead of everyone else,” Brosnahan added.
Joining Corenswet and Brosnahan in the movie are Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell.
Superman, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, soars into theaters and IMAX nationwide on 9 July.