New Superman filmed a year early to ensure good effects

In recent years, Marvel has dominated the blockbuster cinema. The eternal comic competitor DC has had some solid films, but many of them were also major flops. Under the leadership of James Gunn, a new start is to be made – and he doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.

James Gunn commissioned to direct DC reboot

The competition between the two comic book publishers DC and Marvel is already many decades old, and in the cinema, Iron Man, Captain America, Spider-Man and Co. have clearly won the case. Most recently, Zack Snyder, a director who was vastly overrated and not necessarily popular with the masses, was primarily responsible for the most important films.

With James Gunn, the tide is set to turn, as the creator of Guardians of the Galaxy was entrusted with the entire DC Cinematic Universe (DCU). Gunn will also completely reboot the DCU, the reboot will begin in a year with a new Superman and will subsequently offer Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2026) as well as the still-unreleased The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Swamp Thing and an as yet untitled Teen Titans film.

Not much is known about the films in the new DCU series so far, the only exception being the Superman film planned for July 11, 2025. Here, too, Gunn says “everything is new” and this means that the lead actor Henry Cavill will no longer play the Man of Steel. He will be replaced by the still relatively unknown David Corenswet.

Enough time for effects

The film has already been shot, and a year before the release means an unusually early end to filming. According to the director, this is entirely intentional, as the filmmakers should be given enough time to complete or perfect the special effects. Dunn was asked about the fact that the special effects in many films have recently been rather mediocre because the artists and programmers are increasingly overwhelmed. “That’s why we finished Superman a year before the release and many shots were worked on hard months in advance,” Gunn posted on Threads. “That’s why we start editing diligently while we’re shooting.

That’s why I prepare so thoroughly and why we only shoot scripts that have been completed. And Supergirl, which I’m not directing, is the same process. I can’t praise the (visual effects; VFX) artists enough who help us create magic.” Gunn writes that he has always been happy to give his VFX collaborators and partners time: “If you do a little research, you will see that my films have always had a different approach and I have always given my VFX artists the time to do their job properly and the respect they deserve.”