James Gunn Admits Previous Superman Films Missed This 1 Crucial Detail His Movie Finally Fixes

James Gunn revealed one key detail about his Superman movie that fixes an issue from past projects starring the DC superhero. While Gunn took some elements from the former DCEU into his new DC Universe, the new DC Studios co-CEO has the tall order of developing a brand new story from the ground up. With so many previous takes on the heroes to look back on, he has countless ideas to weed through so he can make the best decisions for what he brings to the big screen.

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn addressed how he wanted to add a splash of color to his work on 2025's Superman that was not seen in previous films. Quoted in the Superman: The Art and Making of the Film book, Gunn felt that there was "a place for color" and an "old-school look of fiction" that was not used in past Superman movies. Referencing multiple comic runs, including Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman, he reflected on those issues inspiring "the fun and the color" in his Superman movie:

"I felt like there was a place for color. and the old-school look of fiction that had been missing from movies. I mean, first of all, Grant Morrison's 'All-Star Superman' (2005-2008, drawn by Frank Quitely) was a big influence on me in terms of the humanity, and the fun and the color of it. And there you've got Superman up at the top of that. You know: greens, oranges, yellows, blues, the sort of Silver Age science fiction feel of it all. 'Superman for All Seasons' (1998, Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale) was a big influence." 

Explaining further, Gunn explained how he and his DC Studios team hope to do something "different than what other people have done before" with this universe. Using elements seen in other properties like Game of Thrones and Star Wars, he hopes to take inspiration from different "world-building fantasy places" rather than only comic books:

"There's just things you know we're doing with the DCU that I think are different than what other people have done before in terms of creating an overall universe. Is it just about a single story? It's about a universe that we exist in where superheroes are real and that metahumans are real, or costumed vigilantes; they aren't common, but they exist and have existed for a long time. We know that aliens exist on other planets in this universe, so it's taking elements really of Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and things like that… things that are more of these typical world-building fantasy places as opposed to comic book stuff."

Superman is the first new theatrical release in James Gunn and Peter Safran's updated DC Universe. Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, the story pits Clark Kent in his early days as a hero and Daily Planet reporter before diving into his first major battle with Lex Luthor and other powerful adversaries. Superman is now available to stream on HBO Max.

James Gunn's Superman Setting Up a Visually Stunning DCU

Looking at past DC movies like Man of Steel and Superman Returns, Warner Bros. had a knack for dulling down colors in certain comic book movies. The studio even went to extreme levels when Zack Snyder's Justice League was released with a version in black and white, although his regular movies were known for their dark and brooding visuals as well.

Superman bucked that trend with Gunn at the helm, as the first DCU movie brought much of the same visual splendor fans saw in his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy series for Marvel. While Superman's development process included countless variations of different character designs, Gunn and Safran seemed to be intent on making sure the story was abundant in color from the beginning.

Moving forward, DC Studios has already teased similar bright colors being used for other upcoming projects, as seen in the first looks at Lanterns and Supergirl. Fans hope to see more of this in the upcoming solo movies for Batman, Wonder Woman, and more heroes, most of which are still in the early stages of development.