With the dramas of #ReleaseTheSnyderCut, Batfleck and Batgirl firmly in the rear window, the long-awaited reboot to the DC Extended Universe — now branded as the DC Universe — has finally taken its first official step forward with Superman crashing into a snowy mountain landscape.
The first teaser trailer for James Gunn's Superman shares images of David Corenswet as Superman saving a young girl, Clark and Lois navigating the Daily Planet's newsroom, Superman and Lois embracing in the sky and most importantly, Krypto saving the day.
"Krypto probably comes off as a better dog in the trailer than he is in the movie. You love him because he's a dog and he's got the cute, innocent eyes, but he's a terrible dog," laughs Gunn during a private Q&A session hosted earlier this week by Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis.
Apart from Superdog's grip on the iconic red cape, the echoing of John Williams's score dominates the near two-and-a-half-minute clip. Gunn asked of his composer a near-impossible task: making the classic theme his own — while also retaining Williams's legendary sound.
"John Murphy just took to the challenge 100 percent and made something really beautiful," Gunn says. "When you see the opening and you hear the score… he's done something miraculous."
Unlike Gunn's previous films whose soundtracks became as renowned as the movies themselves, Superman will be completely score-based. Gunn explains he wanted to pay tribute, not just to Williams's score as a piece of music, but to his own childhood love for it when watching Richard Donner's 1978 film.
Also reminiscent of the original Christopher Reeve-led movie, Gunn opts for a suit less stealth-like as has been done in contemporary superhero films. The filmmaker wanted "something that people could actually wear," deciding to go a different route to the typical fake and air-brushed muscle suits.
The teaser trailer shows a Superman clad in bright blues, jewelled golds and vivid reds, and although Gunn knew he wanted to change the general form of the suit, he was less convinced of its colourfulness. In fact, it was Corenswet who assured Gunn that colour was the way to go.
When discussing the suit with the actor in his dressing room, Corenswet reminded Gunn that while Supes is an alien, he wants kids to like him — "he doesn't want to be scary, he wants to be non-imposing." Unlike Batman who chooses his attire in the hopes of striking fear into his enemies, Superman looks to assure the public he poses no harm or threat to them.
For all the Silver Age reference points, from the score to the suit, Gunn remains adamant that comparisons begin and end with the aesthetics. The director assures us that the story of Superman veers far from what would be considered a Silver Age plot.
"[The film takes] the character of Superman and really get[s] into who he is as an individual and what his personal obstacles are. I think that's a really big difference from not only other Superman movies, but superhero films," Gunn asserts. "This is a story about a man and his external and internal obstacles. It has elements of both the traditional and the new, and I think that's where we find our balance."
He continues, "The film is optimistic, yet not without its darker moments. It's a big science fiction movie, but at the same time, incredibly grounded. I wanted it to be something that was the essence of the Superman that I grew up with [and] loved, but also something new at the same time."
Fans eager to see David Corenswet as the newest Man of Steel, Nicholas Hoult's "badass" take on Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan's "amazing" Lois and Nathan Fillion sporting a swell bowl cut will have to hang on for a few months longer. The film is set to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures on July 11 in theatres (and IMAX!).