The wait is finally over: the first official teaser trailer for has been put online Superman and the new DC Universe led by James Gunn e Peter Safran can officially begin. In truth, the works have already been inaugurated by the animated series Creature Commandosbut as far as the big screen is concerned, the first real date is for on July 11, 2025when the version of the Man of Steel imagined by the director of will arrive in theaters Guardians of the Galaxy and played by David Corenswet.
In the trailer we saw him wounded and bleeding in a land of ice, saved by his faithful cane Krypto. So there you have it Clark Kent in the headquarters of the Daily Planet, the presentation of characters such as Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and explosive images they introduce Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Guy Gardner aka Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and the rest of the cast put together by James Gunn for this very important first time.
The person concerned spoke to us about all this during an international press conference called on the occasion of the launch of the trailer. A Q&A that we report below, but we also remind you that in February issue of Best Movie you will find the full chat we had with him on the set of Superman, of which we have already told you something in recent days.
Trailers in recent years are increasingly rich in material, powerful, creative… but the first teaser of a great film is always an important moment, for what it decides to reveal and how it decides to do it. What kind of decisions did you make for this trailer? What did you want it to bring to the public?
I wanted that captured the very essence of the filmwhich is optimistic but has its dark moments; it’s a great sci-fi film, but at the same time also incredibly grounded: we treat the characters like any other. I wanted something reflective the essence of Supermanwhat I grew up with and loved, but also something new. Making a Superman film was paradoxical for me, because you want to do something new but you also want something that you already know and that is traditional. In the end it was easier than I thought, both for the film and for the trailer: they are there the traditional aspects of Superman, hope, honesty and goodness and those other qualities of the character, which in this era end up being almost alternatives. So I think that’s the heart of the film and it was important to bring back something about the great sci-fi moments of the film, capture a hint of Krypto (who is a very important character) and obviously see the relationship between Clark and Lois (unlike any other we’ve seen before) and of course Lex Luthor too… I have my phone full of photos of Nicholas Hoult and the women in my life went crazy over this bald man!
The Superman poster
In the trailer there are references to the classic design, but something new is also introduced. How did you balance the most iconic visual aspects and the more innovative ones?
I was looking for a balance between the classic and the completely new. Which can sometimes be a very brave thing to do, because Superman is a great character. When I did Guardians of the Galaxyno one knew who they were, there were only like 12 people who were unhappy because Yondu didn’t have a fin in the first film. This was the height of outrage over something that was not as they had imagined. However, Superman is one of the most famous characters in the world and everyone has their own idea of what he should be like, what his basic powers are etc. Finding something that was true and authentic was difficult, but if you can, the job is done.
Where did the idea of making Superman the first film of the new universe created by DC Studios come from?
Probably the fact that I wrote the film before I came to DC Studios. Superman is the first superhero, we have seen in recent years Batman, Wonder Woman and that’s the trinity, but we haven’t seen him that often on the big screen. So being able to take the character and play with it is something that I was very excited about. I’m living Peter Safran’s dream, too: he always wanted to do a Superman movie in his life and that’s part of the reason I did it.
How does the relationship between David Corenswet’s Clark Kent/Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane differ from the other versions seen at the cinema and on TV?
I’ve worked on other romantic couples in the past that didn’t have much chemistry. We need to build it. So I wanted actors who worked well together and chemistry is a strange thing because actors don’t always go well together. When we auditioned our finalists, we had three actors for Superman and three for Lois – we put them together and David and Rachel were incredible individually, but when we put them together you felt electricity in the air, it was palpable. Partly it’s sensuality, but also the way they bounce off each other, like the stars of the ’40s. There is a miraculous energy between the two of them, I felt like we were not only choosing the actors, but also the energy between them. When you see them together, you understand that he is the strongest man in the world, but she is also not to be underestimated and can knock him out in some ways. In the trailer there is no dialogue between them, but it is clear that their bond is indisputable.
We’ve never seen a Superman trailer that opens with him at his most vulnerable…
It was important to make that clear he will have to deal with something capable of hurting him. Seeing him so vulnerable will make a lot of people say ‘Oh my God.’ AND something that has never been seen before: he has blood coming out of his mouth, it immediately makes you think about what happened, what caused it.
A frame from the Superman trailer
The costume also seems to be a mix of elements from various eras of the comics. How did you work on the costume in a way that respects Superman’s legacy, but presents it as something fresh for new generations?
I had a specific idea of how I wanted the costume. I knew there would be the symbol of Kingdom Come [miniserie del 1996, ndr]. So I knew some things, others were the result of trial and error. I wanted it to be real, something people can actually wear. I’ve seen so many fake muscle suits, I didn’t want to go down that road. There is something that David told me that is very important to me: I entered his dressing room while he was wearing the costume and I was struck by the colours, I thought they were too bright. But he replied: ‘Yes, he’s an alien, he loves children and wants them to like him, he doesn’t have to be a scary presence‘. And I thought that yes, Superman is just that: he is powerful, but he doesn’t want to be like Batman and wear something that puts fear in the hearts of criminals.
You have directed ensemble films such as Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. How does it feel to focus on just one character now?
I don’t think that’s the case. For the most part there is only one protagonist and it is his story, but as with Super (which I directed over 15 years ago now) there are other important characters. It’s like Oppenheimer: it’s his story, but it also goes much beyond the single character. This is a film about trio of Superman, Lois and Lex and how they interact. But there are also Krypto, Mr. Terrific and many others.
What choice are you most proud of, regarding the DC world?
Even though I’m a hard worker, I can sometimes be lazy in my choices, rather than really delving into different ideas. I do the things that interest me right away. With Superman, I was interested in the idea of making a Superman film that people could relate to. I didn’t know how to get there though, it took me some work to get to the point. So the biggest challenge was that initial work on the idea of Superman and that was before I got to DC. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of.
Superman is a fundamental character not only for geek culture, but for the entire world. These are very polarized times, what message do you think it can bring, as a symbol of hope?
I think the internet is much more polarizing than real life. I live in rural Georgia, I have friends with various political views but I am not a person who believes it is necessary to cut anyone out for them. Ultimately, we all try to do the best we can, to make the best choices for ourselves. I know it’s hard to believe in these times when everything is black and white, but I hope Superman can bring us together a little: he cares a lot about certain values that I think we all believe in as well. If we can focus on our humanity, which is what Superman is about both as a character and as a movie, then it will be very helpful.
Foto: Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
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