The first official reaction to Superman was made public months before its release. James Gunn's Superman reboot will kick off the DCU later this summer. It is a significantly important movie for Warner Bros., as the DC brand's new on-screen venture hopes to get off on the right foot.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-chair and CEO Michael De Luca shared his thoughts about Superman, revealing what will become the first public review of the new DC movie. His thoughts will be taken as good news to many fans as DC Studios approaches a crucial juncture in its DCU journey.
Speaking as a recent appearance on the Smartless podcast, De Luca revealed he had seen an "early cut of Superman," director James Gunn "understood the assignment," and Warner Bros. is "excited" about where the franchise is going:
"We've seen an early cut of 'Superman,' and I don't want to bury the lede, there's a lot of marketing about to roll out ahead of its release, but [Gunn] really understood the assignment... His heart's in the right place, his aim is true, and we're really excited about their new version of DC."
This marks the first official reaction to the movie that has been made public. Reviews out of test screenings for Superman have reportedly been mainly positive, potentially hinting that Warner Bros. may have a hit on its hands.
James Gunn's Superman soars into theaters on July 11, 2025, serving as the first movie in Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran's vision for the new DCU.
The film stars David Corwenswet as the titular Man of Steel, along with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Plot details on the movie have been scarce, but Gunn has teased a return to the hyper-saturated, hope-filled vision of Superman and the DC world, taking inspiration from the beloved 2008 comic book story All-Star Superman.
Will James Gunn's Superman Be Good?
Hearing this update from Michael De Luca will almost surely have fans eager for Superman excited, but it should be taken with a grain of salt.
Seeing as De Luca does work for Warner Bros. (the studio behind the film), his livelihood is directly affected by the response to Superman, making it hard to imagine him ever saying a bad thing about the movie.
Ultimately, this movie feels like a promotional beat for the film, getting the word out there early from someone as big and as high-ranking as De Luca.
It comes off similar to Tom Cruise sharing his thoughts about The Flash movie in 2023, when the Mission: Impossible star teased that he loved the movie months before its release, getting people's hopes up for the film long before it hit the big screen.
That is not to say that Superman is going to be a bad movie, but Michael De Luca should not necessarily be the one to render the verdict for fans on the movie (good or bad).
Ultimately, fans should wait to see what the critics think about the movie as it approaches its theatrical debut. It should be reassuring that test screening audiences seem to be receiving the film positively, meaning De Luca's comments may be a little more than a clever marketing tact.
With a second trailer for the movie seemingly imminent, fans will likely be getting a lot more of Superman soon.
