According to two of its stars, Superman was forced to remove one scene because it was so hated by test audiences. James Gunn's new vision for the DC universe is finally set to make its silver screen debut in the upcoming Superman, ushering in a new era for the blue brand under the tutelage of the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker. While test screenings for the film have been a bit up and down, anticipation for the movie is still high, as Gunn and the team put their finishing touches on the title.
Speaking as part of some recent Superman interviews, stars María Gabriela de Faría and Sara Sampaio revealed one of the changes that was made to the new movie after a series of test screenings. The pair disclosed that this particular sequence featured the villainous Ultraman taking on Superman's dog, Krypto, and was deemed too brutal for movie theater audiences.
Gabriela de Faría and Sampaio (who play the Engineer and Eve Teschmacher in the upcoming blockbuster) told Jake's Takes that, originally, the movie featured a scene that featured "Ultraman punching Krypto," but it was cut as "it did really bad in the test screenings:"
"They actually cut a worse scene from [the movie]. Me and Nick [Hoult] were a little bit pissed about it, but it's okay...Well, they cut Ultraman punching Krypto. Because, apparently, it did really bad in the test screenings."
Gabriela de Faría added that the film does include sequences where she does do battle with the super-powered canine, but justified the move as, "The dog attacked [her] first:"
"It's not okay. You can't punch a dog. You can't punch, I... Okay. No, I did not punch the dog. The dog attacked me first."
No further details of the cut Krypto vs. Ultraman scene were provided, but one can likely fill in the blanks about why the sequence ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor.
Superman marks the first film in DC Studios' new DCU, bringing David Corenswet's Man of Steel to the big screen for the first time. The new movie follows Corenswet's Clark Kent/Superman as he takes on the dastardly Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult).
Supes will have plenty of help in the upcoming blockbuster with his caped canine Krypto making his big-screen debut, along with new-to-the-screen heroes Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).
Why Did They Cut the Krypto/Ultraman Scene?
Just hearing these quotes, some may bristle at the fact that James Gunn and company gave in to test audiences and cut the Kyrto/Ultraman scene, but it may have been for the best.
This is ultimately what test screenings are for. They allow studios to show early (often unfinished) cuts of their upcoming films, get feedback, and then return to the lab to improve the end product.
So, if audiences watched the Superman cut that included this deleted scene, and did not vibe with it for what were likely valid reasons, then, DC Studios was smart to give it the boot.
As for why test audiences did not like the scene, from the sounds of it, it sounds like it may have been a bit too brutal for the world James Gunn is building. Violence against animals is an extremely touchy subject in and out of film, so depicting it on the big screen requires delicate handling.
Fans have already seen just how ruthless Ultraman can be in the new Superman movie, but his punching a dog as adorable as Krypto might have been one thing too far.
There are other ways to depict this character's brutality, and Gunn and co. likely saw the complaints, agreed, and cut the scene.
Maybe it will see the light of day in some sort of director's cut, but now, it will stay hidden in the DC vault.
