The 9 Biggest Superman Movie Rumors Debunked by James Gunn

Known for not letting unsubstantiated rumors run amok online, director James Gunn continues to set the record straight for what's coming with his upcoming DCU Superman movie. Gunn is more active on social media than almost any creative in the business, consistently combating fake reports about what will happen in his movies and TV shows.

Superman director/DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has debunked almost a dozen rumors about what will happen in 2025's Superman. While the DC head has done this for rumors across the greater DCU, with the Man of Steel's first new solo movie on the horizon, rumors are much more prominent in the weeks leading up to its release. Superman is set to soar into theaters on July 11, 2025.

9 Biggest Superman Movie Rumors Debunked By James Gunn

Jacob Elordi Casting Rumor

In early January 2023, shortly after Gunn took his position as DC Studios co-CEO, rumors began circulating about who would take over the role of Superman from Henry Cavill. One of the most prominent names on that list was Jacob Elordi, who is best known for his critically acclaimed roles in Euphoria and Saltburn.

Gunn quickly put that rumor to bed by taking to X and saying, "no one has been cast as Superman yet." He indicated that casting would not happen until the script for Man of Steel's next solo movie was completed:

"My thoughts are no one has been cast as Superman yet. Casting, as is almost always the case with me, will happen after the script is finished or close to finished, and it isn't. We'll announce a few things in not too long, but the casting of Superman won’t be one of them"

Just over two weeks later, Gunn announced the first 10 projects in his Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate for the DCU, which was confirmed to start in theaters with Superman. The official casting reveal for the role of Clark Kent came five months later when David Corenswet was confirmed to play the DCU's Kryptonian hero.

Villain Rumor Hinting Superman Will Fight Superman Clone

Early in the production process for Superman, rumors online teased that the film's main villain would be Ultraman and that the movie would include a clone of Clark Kent. Taking to Threads, Gunn made it clear that the movie is far simpler than that, featuring Superman as the primary protagonist and Lex Luthor as the main villain:

"The primary protagonist of 'Superman' is, shockingly, Superman. The main villain of 'Superman' is, shockingly, Lex Luthor. I don’t know where all the stuff is coming from that it’s something other than this. There are so many stories coming out every day it’s difficult to deal with and everytime I strike something down I’m giving it attention. So, I’ll say again, don’t believe anything unless you see it HERE (& why would you want to know everything before the movie comes out anyway?)"

James Gunn Has No Words for Superman Suit Rumor

In March 2023, noted internet scooper MyTimeToShineHello shared an image of the Superman design from Fortnite, stating the DCU's Superman would have a costume akin to it. The suit in question had what appears to be armor plating and panel-lining throughout the design, bright red trunks, and a gold belt, along with the classic Superman "S" on the chest.

Gunn did not even use a worded reaction to this post; instead, he used only a "rolling eyes" emoji in his reply. The director later shared the first official look at Superman's suit in May 2024, which featured the "S" used in DC Comics' Kingdom Come storyline.

Runtime for Superman Not Set in Stone

In May 2025, rumors began teasing how long Superman's runtime would be when it hit theaters. Specifically, a fan asked Gunn about one rumor stating the film was locked into a 2-hour-2-minute long runtime.

Replying on Threads, Gunn said that the report was not true but confirmed that the movie was "almost totally locked," save for a few VFX shots that still needed to be finished. Since then, the director has confirmed that the movie is 2 hours and 9 minutes in length, making it the shortest non-sequel Superman movie in the franchise.

Superman Plot Not Going to the Middle East

Responding to an Instagram post from James Gunn, a fan asked him to confirm that Superman would not include a plot point centered on a conflict in the Middle East.

Gunn quickly cleared up any confusion on that question by replying, "It isn't true," to the fan in question, debunking the idea of the Middle East playing a major role in this movie. Instead, given the prominent usage of the villainous Hammer of Boravia in promotional material, it seems that the film will focus on the fictional country of Boravia.

Superman Is NOT the Villain of DCU's Superman Movie

Reportedly first teased by YouTuber Grace Randolph, another rumor for Superman's plot took a wild twist by setting him up to be a villain by Lex Luthor. This would reportedly lead to the film's other group of heroes (Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and Metamorpho) joining forces to fight him:

"The plot of 'Superman' will reportedly focus on Lex Luthor setting up Superman as a villain, causing other heroes (Hawkgirl, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho) to fight him."

Quick to respond, Gunn simply said, "nope" to that rumor, putting to bed the idea of the film's central hero being depicted as any kind of villain.

"No Truth" To Rumor Hinting at Tubthumping Playing on Superman Set

While responding to a different DC rumor on Threads, James Gunn took a moment to address another rumor saying that the hit Chumbawamba song "Tubthumping" was playing on the Superman set during shooting.

Gunn said there was "no truth" to the rumor, and he has not yet revealed what songs will make up this movie's soundtrack.

Superman's Budget Is Not Over $300 Million

Another rumor making the rounds on Threads attempted to report that Superman's budget was a whopping $364 million, which would make it one of the most expensive superhero movies in history.

Including a laughing emoji, Gunn offered the following reply:

"Absolutely not. How in the world do they think they know what our budget is?"

Since then, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the movie instead had a $225 million budget, which is more in line with the standard affair for blockbusters in this era of Hollywood.

Milly Alcock Was in Cleveland To Film for Superman

Another fan on Threads shared a rumor with Gunn teasing that Supergirl star Milly Alcock was in Cleveland to shoot for Superman in July 2024. Gunn took a moment to debunk that rumor, joking that he is unaware of her being in town "unless she's vacationing" and did not inform him that she was there.

It should be noted that Superman was only partially filmed in Cleveland, with the majority of its shoot taking place in Atlanta. 

As further rumors indicated Alcock will have at least a small role in Superman, it is still possible that the Woman of Tomorrow may have instead joined the production for a cameo in Atlanta rather than Cleveland.