James Gunn‘s upcoming Superman film will see the titular hero don his signature red trunks, a move that the DC Studios co-head said he went back and forth on, and even consulted with another Superman director about.
What did James Gunn and Zack Snyder talk about?
Speaking to Screen Brief as part of a recent Q&A session during the launch of the Superman teaser trailer, Gunn spoke about the development of the costume, which featured input from lead actor David Corenswet, as well as costume designer Juliana Makovsky.
“I would say that Superman is in a lot of ways, an outsider. I think that he is, you know, an alien from another planet,” said Gunn. “And I told the story earlier, to all the people here. There was a time when I was developing the Superman costume, with David Corenswet and Juliana, our costume designer.”
When it came down to whether or not Superman would wear the red trunks, Gunn said that he sought advice from several people, including Zack Snyder, who directed 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 2017’s Justice League. Notably, his Superman did not wear any trunks.
“And we really went back and forth a lot about the red trunks,” Gunn said. “I even talked to Zack Snyder about it. He said, ‘I tried like a billion versions with the trunks and just never got there.’ And I said, ‘I see how that’s the case.’”
In the end, Gunn said that a conversation between Corenswet and him convinced the filmmaker to use the trunks, as a nod to how Superman would want children to not be afraid of him.
“I wanted to use the trunks, but I couldn’t, I kept taking them off. And I came in, it’s very colorful, the trunks are on, and I’m like, ‘God, I don’t know. It’s just so colorful. David, how do you feel?’ He’s like, ‘I love it.’ And I’m like, ‘Really, it’s that colorful.’”
Along with David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, Superman stars Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Terence Rosemore as Otis, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent, Neva Howell as Martha Kent, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe.
The DC Universe’s first phase, called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, debuted with Creature Commandos in late 2024. Superman will be the first movie in James Gunn’s universe, which will feature a multitude of different movies and television shows. A few of the announced projects include a Batman and Robin-focused movie called The Brave and the Bold, a Supergirl movie titled Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, a Swamp Thing movie, Clayface, an animated movie called Dynamic Duo, and multiple TV shows.
Superman is set to release in theaters on July 11, 2025.
(Source: Screen Brief)
