Michael De Luca, co-chair and CEO of Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group, just gave James Gunn’s Superman film a big vote of confidence.
The exec hyped up Gunn’s new Man of Steel movie — going so far as to describe the reboot as “a five-star movie” in addition to calling it “epic” and “emotional.”
Gunn rebooting Superman
In an interview with Deadline, De Luca confirms Gunn came on board Superman prior to being named as the co-head of the DCU with Peter Safran:
Yes, we hired James in secret to start his Superman script before they took the job.
De Luca is a big comic fan
We’ve been told that De Luca is actually a big comic book fan himself. He produced the Blade and Ghost Rider movies. He’s also a big Superman fan:
I love Superman. I think James Gunn has crushed it. It’s got tons of his trademark heart and humor and the action is jaw dropping. It’s the Superman I grew up with, so I get choked up when I watch it. I think it’s so epic and visually arresting and emotional. The performances are great. It is a five-star movie to me, and I can’t wait for the world to see it. Yeah, we’re really excited about Superman, James crushed it.
Love letter to the character
When asked if Gunn’s version is a closer cousin to the Richard Donner movies with Christopher Reeve, De Luca confirmed it is but there is more:
I would say in spirit, it is closer to that, but it’s also a big hunk of epic sci-fi. It has a little bit of what I loved about Guardians of the Galaxy, but it’s true-blue Superman. The conflict sources that he uses for inspiration, All-Star Superman and the like are in there, too. It is really a love letter to what has made Superman endure for almost a hundred years. He managed to get it all in there.
Release info
James Gunn’s Superman gets released on July 11th. Starring includes David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult.
