DC originally asked James Gunn to direct Superman 7 years ago, but he didn't know if he could: "It seems hard"

In a surprising superhero twist, James Gunn has revealed he initially turned down the job of directing a new Superman movie – all the way back in 2018. The reason? It seemed too hard!

This unexpected news comes from CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where Gunn took part in a glitzy presentation on the upcoming blockbuster. "It’s been a long time coming," he declared to an audience of cinema owners and media, including GamesRadar+.

"Back in 2018, I was first offered Superman," explains Gunn. "I was like, 'Oh my God, that seems so cool. I would love to do that. I don't know if I can. It seems hard. I just don't know.' They then said, 'Well, we also want you to do The Suicide Squad,' and I went down the easier path, because that was what I knew. It’s a group of ragtag anti-heroes that was rated R instead of PG13, so I did that."

Despite turning down the opportunity, Gunn admits the idea of tackling the Man of Steel stuck with him. "Over the years, I'd think, 'How was I going to do Superman if I ever had the chance to do it? How can you take a character like this, who's perceived as old-fashioned by many? There have been so many different permutations of the character throughout the years, so how could you do it for a modern audience?'"

Thankfully, Gunn continued to percolate ideas and fans will see the outcome when the blockbuster is released in cinemas this summer. "I knew what I wanted to do in creating a story that was both utterly human and utterly fantastic at the same time – and I think the movie bounces back and forth between those two poles in a relationship that's incredibly complex," he explains.

"It also has all the fantastic elements that we've never really seen in a Superman movie: the flying dog, the giant Kaiju, pocket universes, science and sorcery, and all these things that were in the old Max Fleischer cartoons." Bring it on!

Superman is released on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our guides all the upcoming DC movies and shows on the way as well as our guide to watching the DC movies in order.