Gunn's 'Superman' opens as first film of the rebooted DC Universe

James Gunn's 'Superman' opened in cinemas on 11 July 2025. It was the first feature film in the rebooted DC Universe, the shared film and television franchise that Gunn and producer Peter Safran began building after taking charge of DC Studios in late 2022.

The film starred David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Superman, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Gunn wrote and directed it, aiming for a more hopeful tone than the darker DC films of the previous decade. It followed the animated series 'Creature Commandos', which had been presented as the first project of the new slate.

The release mattered because it was the first major test of the Gunn and Safran strategy. Warner Bros. Discovery had been trying to give its superhero brand a clearer creative direction after uneven results from earlier DC releases. The film was also seen as a key early test of whether the new universe could compete with Marvel and bring audiences back to DC's flagship character.