James Gunn says the Superman trailer really captures the "essence" of the upcoming DC movie: "Optimistic but not without its darker moments"

James Gunn says the long-awaited trailer for his highly-anticipated Superman movie captures the true "essence" of the first film in the newly established DCU.

Speaking at a trailer launch event GamesRadar+ attended earlier this week, Gunn dived deeper into his intentions with the teaser explaining: "I think I wanted the trailer to really get the essence of the film. You know, the film is optimistic, yet not without its darker moments. It's a big science fiction movie, but at the same time, incredibly grounded in the way we treat the characters and everything else. So I wanted it to be something that was the essence of Superman, that was the Superman that I grew up with, that I love, but also something new at the same time."

The filmmaker said taking on Superman has been "paradoxical," explaining that the "traditional aspects of Superman, the hope and the honesty and the goodness in the sort of gung ho qualities of Superman, in this day and age end up being pretty wild and alternative, almost."

Written and directed by Gunn, the upcoming pic follows a younger Superman (as in much younger than Henry Cavill) as he embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent. The trailer is an epic, action-packed first look at the upcoming pic, featuring Krypto the Superdog (who we have not seen on the big screen in quite some time), a bruised and bloody Superman, a mid-air kiss between Superman and Lois Lane, Lex Luthor wielding a gun, some explosions, and a very sweet kid holding up a flag with the Superman symbol on it, hoping it summon him.

David Corenswet plays the titular hero, with Rachel Brosnahan as his love interest and roving Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. The cast also includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag St., Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Continued Gunn: "So I think that that's really the heart of what the movie is. And get, you know, giving some semblance of the big science fiction moments you know, being able to catch a glimpse of Krypto, who's who's an important character. And, of course, seeing the relationship between Clark and Lois, which I think is unlike anything we've ever seen in any media, for Lois and Superman, being able to see that, get a glimpse of that and how amazing Rachel is."

Superman flies into theaters on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.