James Gunn Reveals His Superman Trunks Chat with Zack Snyder!
Warner Bros. has faced ongoing challenges with its DC Comics characters, particularly in trying to compete with Marvel’s MCU. After Zack Snyder’s vision for the DC Universe didn’t pan out as hoped, the studio decided to take a fresh approach by bringing in James Gunn to spearhead a new era.
Together with Peter Safran, Gunn opted to scrap the old DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and rebuild from the ground up with a new vision, now called the DCU. The first major project in this reimagined universe is the upcoming Superman film, slated for release next year, starring David Corenswet as the legendary hero. However, many details about the production remain shrouded in mystery.
In a recent press event following the in-person trailer launch in Los Angeles, James Gunn shared some intriguing insights. As reported by Screen Brief, the virtual Zoom session included over 50 journalists from Australia, China, and the Asia-Pacific region, who had the chance to ask Gunn some compelling questions!
During the press event, many questions were asked and answered, but one stood out to us. James Gunn revealed something intriguing—he had a conversation with Zack Snyder, his predecessor, about a specific and fascinating detail related to Superman:
You are used to making films about outsiders. However, Clark Kent, Superman is not one of those characters. So why did you choose this film to direct?
I would say that Superman is in a lot of ways, an outsider. I think that he is, you know, an alien from another planet. And I told the story earlier, to all the people here. There was a time when I was developing the Superman costume, with David Corenswet and Juliana, our costume designer.
And it was coming together, but it had the red trunks, it had the whole thing. And we really went back and forth a lot about the red trunks. I even talked to Zack Snyder about it. He said, ‘I tried like a billion versions with the trunks and just never got there.’ And I said, ‘I see how that’s the case.’
I didn’t know about the trunks. I wanted to use the trunks, but I couldn’t, I kept taking them off. And I came in, it’s very colorful, the trunks are on, and I’m like, ‘God, I don’t know. It’s just so colorful. David, how do you feel?’ He’s like, ‘I love it.’ And I’m like, ‘Really, it’s that colorful.’
And David said, ‘I’m an alien from outer space who can fly and lift buildings, and I shoot laser beams out of my eyes that can dissolve things. I want kids to not be afraid of me. So, what am I going to wear?
And I think that was really part of where the costume came from. And I saw the character in a new way. And it also showed me how—David, before we started even shooting, really took everything, every moment, very seriously in all his choices and what he would do. And he wants to not be scary to kids. And I thought that was a pretty cool thing that really, I’ve kept in mind for the character ever since that moment.
Source: Screen Brief
You may recall that the design of Superman’s costume was a big topic of discussion. James Gunn has now shared some interesting details about how the final design was created and chosen.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!