Don't panic! Superman: Legacy isn't being stuffed with superheroes for the sake of it

Superman: Legacy director James Gunn has denied rumours creative choices made in the movie were pushed by the studio.

Gunn was asked on Instagram offshoot Threads to respond to a post published on Bounding Into Comics suggesting he was “ordered” to add a host of DC characters to Superman: Legacy.

Why? To make the studio, Warner Bros. Discovery, more attractive to future potential buyers. The claim is this order came from studio CEO David Zaslav.

“Of course not,” was Gunn’s reply.

A rumour, picked up by Deadline, was claiming that Superman: Legacy was “Zaslav’s way of showcasing the DC world to a potential buyer.”

That claim gets a little weaker when the characters involved are the likes of Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific and Metamorpho, who are hardly household names. And Green Lantern, the subject of one of cinema’s most derided cinematic flops, the 2011 adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds.

Gunn also denied an upcoming animated Justice League movie, titled Crisis on Infinite Earths, is part of Gunn’s new DC Universe — his much-discussed cinematic reboot of the DC superhero franchise.

New era for Superman

These largely spurious rumours are likely to continue flowing at a time when real move developments are stymied by the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes.

Superman: Legacy is not due to start shooting until early 2024, assuming the strikes are settled by that point. The film is currently scheduled for release on 11 July 2025.

One of the biggest mysteries is already solved, though. In June DC announced David Corenswet will play Superman, taking over from Henry Cavill, who last played the superhero in 2021's Justice League movie.

Three DC film are on the slate ahead of Superman: Legacy, which marks the true beginning of the new era of James Gunn’s stewardship of DC, despite taking on the title in late 2022.

The next is Blue Beetle, due in cinemas on August 18. It is projected to have an extremely poor opening weekend, one to rival 2004’s Catwoman according to projections by Box Office Pro.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in cinemas this December, while Joker: Folie a Deux is scheduled for 4 October 2024.