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February 2, 2023: Everything We Know About "Superman: Legacy"

With the official announcement from James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios, that a new Superman movie titled "Superman: Legacy" will be released in 2025, let's take a look at what we know about this project to date.

What is "Superman: Legacy"?

"Superman: Legacy" is the title of the new Superman movie which, according to James Gunn, will act as "the launch of the new DCU".

The first of a new slate of films and television shows focusing on the DC Universe of characters, the script for "Superman: Legacy" is being written by James Gunn himself.

What the movie will be about remains unknown, but we do know that it won't be an origin story, it will however tell the story of a younger Superman.

Co-CEO of DC Studios Peter Safran said, "It's not an origin story. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned."

While DC promoted the "Superman: Legacy" announcement using an image from Grant Morrison's "All-Star Superman," it's doubtful that the new movie will be an adaptation of that 2005 comic book series. There's no doubt however that Gunn is drawing some inspiration from Morrison's take on the character in some form or fashion.

It should be noted that Grant Morrison's involvement with Superman extends well beyond "All-Star Superman," with the writer penning 18 issues of "Action Comics" when the title was relaunched in 2011 for the "New 52" era.

Morrison's most recent Superman story (from 2021) was a four-issue miniseries in which the Man of Steel joined forces with Manchester Black and his cohorts in "Superman and The Authority." With "The Authority" scheduled as the second movie to be released after "Superman: Legacy" in DC's new slate of films, it's possible that there could be a connection between the two.

What Does "Legacy" Mean?

The Oxford Dictionary describes the word "Legacy" as meaning "the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person's life."

It wouldn't be a stretch to imagine Superman learning about his Kryptonian heritage and, as Safran said, needing to work out a balance between that knowledge while also adhering to the values instilled in him by Jonathan and Martha Kent.

The word "Legacy" could also be DC acknowledging Superman's importance as the company's flagship character and his 85 year history as one of the world's most iconic fictional characters.

Who Will Be Cast in the Role of Superman?

With James Gunn still writing the script, no casting has been done. In mid-January Gunn responded to rumors on Twitter saying, "No one has been cast as Superman yet. Casting, as is almost always the case with me, will happen after the script is finished or close to finished, and it isn't. We'll announce a few things in not too long, but the casting of Superman won't be one of them."

One thing we do know, Henry Cavill will not be playing Superman. Gunn and Safran met with Cavill to inform him of their plans to go in a different direction with the character. "In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we're big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."

Gunn also went to great lengths to explain to fans that they never fired Cavill. He said, "He was never cast. He was in a cameo and that was the end of his story. I like Henry. He's gotten dicked around by a lot of people including former regimes of this company. But [our] Superman isn't Henry for a number of reasons."

Will Superman's Costume Include the Red Trunks?

Just as there has been no casting decisions made at this point, it's also way too early to be talking about costume design. While Gunn did post a Twitter poll asking fans if Superman should have the red trunks or not, he did point out that the poll wasn't an indication of anything to do with the upcoming film. It was just for fun.

When Will "Superman: Legacy" Be Released?

"Superman: Legacy" is scheduled to released July 11, 2025.

2023 Movie News

Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2023 organized into various categories:

'Superman: Legacy' Movie News:

'The Flash' Supergirl Movie News:

Christopher Reeve Movie News:

Henry Cavill Movie News:

'Legion of Super-Heroes' Animated Movie News:

'DC League of Super-Pets' Animated Movie News:

'Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen' Animated Movie News:

'Justice League: Warworld' Animated Movie News:

'Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths' Animated Movies News:

Other Movie News:

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February 2, 2023: Everything We Know About "Superman: Legacy"

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