Since becoming the co-head of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran, James Gunn has wasted no time in restructuring the plan for the future of the DC superhero universe. With a multi-chapter plan being set into motion, Gunn also now has his first directorial effort for the reconstructed DCEU lined up in the form of Superman: Legacy, a film that he has been writing since before taking his new role with DC Studios. 

Safran stated in January that the film will be focused on how Superman balances his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Gunn was hesitant about taking on the project also as a director, but explained, “Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude. But the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey.”

Important to note is that Superman: Legacy will be significant for several firsts. It will be the first film to be conceptualized and produced out of the Gunn-Safran era of DC Studios, with DC’s 2023 slate coming from the previous studio heads marking part of what the pair have teased as Chapter 1: God and Monsters. 

It will also be the first A-list superhero directed by Gunn after having runs with minor characters including the Guardians of the Galaxy series with Marvel and The Suicide Squad last year for DC. Even more notable, the film will also have a fresh face for Superman, as Henry Cavill who has donned the cape since Man of Steel (2013) has been scratched by DC for the future of the character. 

Warner Bros. has Superman Legacy slated for a July 11, 2025 release.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter