Superman: Legacy

Get excited DC fans, Superman: Legacy is on the way and could reset the story of our favorite Kryptonian. Warner Bros. Discovery has been attempting to press the reset button on the DC Universe as of late. They recently hired director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran to co-chair and be DC Studios’ co-CEOs.

In a highly anticipated announcement touted to the masses as the next stage in the DC Universe’s slate of movies and television projects, Gunn spoke candidly on January 31, 2023, about their intentions going forward.

James Gunn’s announcement presented several new movies and television shows to the world. Chief among them is Superman: Legacy, a new film that will take the character of Superman to new heights.

However, since the announcement, many questions have risen about what this new project means for the DC Universe and what the movie will be about.

Here is all we know about Superman: Legacy.

SUPERMAN: LEGACY HAS A JULY 11, 2025 RELEASE DATE AND WILL BE WRITTEN BY JAMES GUNN

SUPERMAN: LEGACY — Written by James Gunn, the film will hit theaters on July 11, 2025 and focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing: https://t.co/hhSUMs2v5R #DCStudios pic.twitter.com/4psxU15Zqi

— DC (@DCComics) January 31, 2023

DC Comics has confirmed via their Twitter account (and via James Gunn himself) that Superman: Legacy will be penned by the latter. The movie is still in development through Warner Bros. Discovery, so a director has yet to be announced to helm the project. However, a release date was revealed to be July 11, 2025, and it will have a theatrical release rather than go direct to streaming.

Superman: Legacy will not be an origin story for the character, but it will center around a younger version of Superman than audiences have seen in theaters recently.

According to Variety, James Gunn confirmed that the new Superman film will focus on the character when he’s a young reporter developing an interaction with Lois Lane. The film will be presented in a way that showcases Superman’s delicate balance of his alien heritage and his Earthly nurturing side.

HENRY CAVILL IS NOT EXPECTED TO RETURN FOR SUPERMAN: LEGACY

The post-credits sequence in 2022’s Black Adam surprised audiences when Henry Cavill returned in his Superman cape and tights as the Man of Steel. It was intended as a way to bring Cavill back to the DC Universe, but since Black Adam failed to gain traction at the box office, Cavill’s return was short-lived.

Primarily due to Superman: Legacy depicting a younger iteration of Clark Kent, aka Superman, the 39-year-old Henry Cavill is not expected to reprise the role for the new film.

However, The Hollywood Reporter confirms that James Gunn likes Cavill as a person and actor, but that “for this story, it isn’t Henry.” This could mean that Cavill could show up as another character down the line in a DC Universe project, but Superman: Legacy won’t be it.

SUPERMAN: LEGACY WILL LIKELY BE PG-13

Unlike other James Gunn projects for the DC Universe, like 2021’s The Suicide Squad, the new Superman: Legacy is not expected to carry an R rating. In fact, IGN reports that Gunn wants the 2025 film to be PG-13 but is open to mature content that would bring the movie up to a more restricted rating. At this time, Superman: Legacy will likely be PG-13.

IT WILL LAUNCH A NEW WAVE OF DC’S GODS & MONSTERS TIMELINE

To represent Superman’s character in a dual role as Kryptonian and protector of humankind on Earth, Superman: Legacy will be the first in several projects for the DC Universe’s “Gods & Monsters” chapter. Similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s phase approach, the DC Universe will unveil various chapters under the guidance of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

The Gods & Monsters era is expected to comprise two movies and two television shows each year that have a shared universe between HBO Max and theatrical releases. As a theme within DC Comics, Gods & Monsters is overarching and popular with fans. Many characters within this chapter will relate to Superman, like the introduction of Robin to the DC Universe. 

Still, James Gunn confirmed other lesser-known characters as part of his big announcement this week.

On the film side, Superman: Legacy will be the first project launched for Gods & Monsters, followed by The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Swamp Thing. Eventually available for streaming on HBO Max will be a slew of new content, including Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold.

One character presented within many of these upcoming projects will surround Amanda Waller, infamously played in the DC Universe by actor Viola Davis. Waller will be a chance for Davis to reprise the role and is written by Watchmen scribe Christal Henry and Supernatural veteran writer Jeremy Carver. 

Meanwhile, Creature Commandos is already in production, and it will be a seven-episode animated series that features Amanda Waller creating a black ops team from monstrous prisoners.

Some other characters will be introduced, like the inhabitants of Wonder Woman’s birthplace on the island of Themyscira, former football star Mike Carter, and several Green Lanterns, including Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

EXISTING DC PROJECTS ARE STILL DUE TO BE RELEASED

Since Superman: Legacy doesn’t release in theaters until 2025, DC Studios will have its hands full this year in releasing highly anticipated movies already filmed and ready to be unleashed to the general public.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is premiering on March 17, 2023, with Zachary Levi returning in the titular role. Levi has come under fire recently for his stance on COVID vaccinations, but the bad press won’t stop Warner Bros. Discovery from debuting the new installment.

Another controversial figure is actor Ezra Miller, who has experienced a fair share of legal troubles in the past few years. However, The Flash is still proceeding to theaters on June 16, 2023, despite the actor’s ongoing issues with the law and their recovery.

Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will both see their films come to theatrical audiences this year, August 18 and December 25, respectively. Blue Beetle will star a predominantly Latino cast, with actor Xolo Maridueña leading the charge. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the sequel to 2018’s Aquaman and will see Jason Momoa reprise his role of Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman.

These legacy characters have yet to be included in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s plans for future projects, although the co-CEOs are not ruling them out for now.