James Gunn is known for blending humor and action in films like Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, but the filmmaker is taking a fresh approach to Superman. While his new DC Universe project promises plenty of lighthearted moments, Gunn emphasizes that Superman will strike a balance between humor, fantasy, and grounded drama.

“It’s humorous, but it certainly is not as comic or as much a comedy as either Suicide Squad or Guardians,” Gunn told Heroic Hollywood and other journalists on the set of Superman. “There’s plenty of humor in it. People like Rachel [Brosnahan] are so funny and David [Corenswet] is very [funny as well], so there’s humor in it, but it’s trying to create something that is grounded, but also it’s an incredibly fanciful world, it’s fantasy, it’s taking from other things like Game of Thrones, where it’s this universe where superheroes actually exist. What are they like? There’s a magic there that’s undeniable. But at the same time, I didn’t want to do wet muscle-looking T-shirt, those fake muscle T-shirts that we’ve seen so much.”

How James Gunn is blending technology and storytelling for Superman

Gunn is also leaning into innovative approaches for the film’s high-flying action sequences. “It was a bunch of things. I wrote up this big document on action and what our philosophy is of action and how we shoot it and what it is, and keeping it alive in the air as well as on the ground,” he said. “And to be able to shoot stuff in the sky as if we were shooting it because everything was rougher like it’s in Guardians, like it’s in The Suicide Squad. And being able to shoot stuff in the sky like that is really hard. So we took a lot from films like Top Gun: Maverick, which we are shooting flying things.”

To achieve this ambitious vision, Gunn revealed the use of cutting-edge drone technology to capture dynamic aerial sequences. “We shoot a lot of our action with actual drones flying in and around Superman and the people that he’s flying with, Engineer, whoever else, that he’s fighting up in the air. And we did that on sound stages. We got these really small, crazy drones now. We’ve got some of the best flyers in the world here who are working with it. And so we use those guys a lot and everything’s planned out with me, as it always is. But at the same time, I’ve gotten even more into finding new stuff on the set and new moments and exploring that stuff, finding magic where it is.”

Gunn also spoke about the tone of the film, describing it as a mix of hope and gravity. “So for me, this is … about coming at something from the inside. So how can [Nicholas Hoult] tell you what Lex is like? It’s like he’s coming from an interior place. It’s not so different with the tone of the film, I know what it feels like to me. I know the texture, I know that it’s something different than I’ve ever done before, but how can I then translate that to you guys on the outside? Because I start with a place that’s very hopeful, fun… but incredibly serious all at the same time.”

It’s clear that James Gunn aims to bring a distinctive blend of action, humor, and heart to the iconic story of Superman. The movie serves as a pivotal project in establishing the tone and vision of Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe, with all eyes on it ahead of its highly-anticipated Summer 2025 release.

Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest updates on James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe.