Many moviegoers are keeping a close watch on James Gunn's upcoming Superman film. This solo movie marks the first for the famous hero since Man of Steel back in 2013. It aims to start a new chapter for the DC world which has faced many challenges in the past. The movie looks like it will bring back a more classic feel to the character after the DC Extended Universe tried to make him seem more ordinary. Gunn is bringing back some well-known parts that have been missing. This includes Superman's red trunks and John Williams' famous theme. He is also bringing in fun older comic book ideas like Krypto the Superdog. The film looks like it will be the ultimate Superman story.
However the latest trailer also showed that it will not follow every classic comic book rule that has been in past films. This is a bit of a bummer for some people. It means David Corenswet will not get to show one fun side of the character. Still, the movie has a lot of excitement around it. People are eager to see how David Corenswet handles the role and what new directions James Gunn takes with this hero.
David Corenswet's Intense Physical Training to Become the Next Man of Steel
How a Farm Boy Look Required Huge Diet Changes and Constant Workouts
The next actor to play Superman David Corenswet gained 40 pounds for one of Hollywood's most famous roles. His personal trainer Paolo Mascitti told Business Insider about the hard work. Mascitti said the main goal when getting Corenswet ready for Superman which comes out in July was to build muscle and size. They did not want him to look overly sculpted.
He needed to look "more like a farm boy than a complete bodybuilder," Mascitti added. This meant Corenswet ate up to 4,500 calories each day. These calories came from healthy foods with a treat every now and then. They trained five to six days a week. This started in July 2023. It was hard to keep up with their training plan once filming started in March 2024 but they did what they could. Mascitti said Corenswet had a "very very good attitude and he worked really hard." He also mentioned that Corenswet was very relaxed. "He listens to jazz when he works out," Mascitti shared.
Corenswet followed a push-pull-legs training plan. This meant they focused on "push" exercises like bench presses one day. Then they did "pull" exercises like pull-ups the next day. On day three they did leg exercises like squats. Then they restarted the cycle. They trained by slowly increasing the weights and reps. This kept challenging Corenswet’s body. They focused on exercises that use many joints like shoulder presses. They also did some exercises that work only one muscle like bicep curls. The number of reps changed but usually stayed between six and 12. Sometimes it went up to 15 or 20 reps for single-muscle exercises like cable flies. This was to make the muscles tired at the end of each workout Mascitti said.
While the main goal was to gain size Corenswet also needed to be strong and fit for the demanding role. They did a lot of core work. This was to help Corenswet when he did stunts and worked with harnesses. Corenswet slowly worked his way up to eating 4,500 calories a day to build muscle without gaining too much fat. As filming got closer he dropped to a slightly lower calorie amount. He ate around 3,500 calories a day to lose some body fat. He aimed to eat about 0.75 to one gram of protein for every pound of his body weight daily. This protein mostly came from eggs dairy chicken red meat fish and whey protein shakes. He spread these meals out through the day. His sources of carbs were mostly rice oats sweet potatoes and vegetables. His diet was not too strict though. Corenswet also ate French toast and waffles sometimes. Mascitti summed it up by saying "Everything is part of the puzzle. You take one of the things out and it's not going to happen."
Lois Lane Already Knows Superman's Secret: A Big Change for the Iconic Relationship
Why The New Movie Skips The Classic Secret Identity Game And What That Means
The newest Superman trailer started with a fun scene between Lois Lane and Clark Kent. After the first short video it was not clear if Lois knew about Clark's secret identity. But the new trailer confirmed this right away with a Superman interview. Clark quickly changed into his Superman personality as Lois started asking him questions about his job in Boravia. The interview gets intense in the trailer. Clark gets upset by Lois' questions because he stopped people and ended the war even though he did not get approval from the U.S. president.
The relationship between Lois and Clark is one of the greatest in all comic stories. It will be at the core of Gunn's Superman film. However the movie will not play around with the idea of Lois wondering if Clark is Superman. While the coming film will not be an origin story it will still happen during Clark's early years at The Daily Planet. The movie could have still looked at Clark living with his secret identity and trying to hide it from a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize. Instead Gunn will go into a relationship between Lois and Clark that is already set up.
Man of Steel also took a similar path with Lois and Clark. That 2013 film made some bold choices with the character. One of those ways the movie played with the story was in Lois and Clark's relationship. Lois investigated Clark's random acts of kindness before he became Superman. This led them to cross paths on a crashed Kryptonian scout ship. So the earlier DC movies did not play with the idea of Clark hiding his identity from Lois at the Daily Planet. Man of Steel ended with Clark joining The Daily Planet and pretending to meet Lois for the first time. For some this also fixed a tiring rule in the Superman comics where Lois had a relationship with both Clark and Superman. However the relationship between Lois and Clark in the earlier movies was one of the weaker parts. This likely came from the choice made in Man of Steel.
The Richard Donner films with Christopher Reeve showed a different side. In those movies Lois did not know Clark was Superman. They had fun with this idea. Reeve really played up the clumsy side of Clark. This is something audiences have not seen since Superman Returns. When Lois shot Clark with a blank in Superman II she finally got the truth out of him after she had many suspicions. Although at the end of Superman II Superman erased Lois' mind to keep her safe. Based on the video from the coming film Corenswet will get to play the fun Clark Kent personality. This is the one masked by his glasses and curly hair at the Daily Planet in front of other people. But that will not be the case behind closed doors with Lois. While it is good that Gunn will not retell the origin story seeing Clark try to outsmart Lois to keep his identity would have been another classic part from the Donner films. This is a dynamic that has been missing for years. Instead it seems the film will deal with what happens when Clark lets Lois in on his secret. It will naturally include her in more action scenes.
Behind the Scenes Buzz: Unpacking Rumors About Superman's Production
Debunking Runtime Claims and Understanding What's Really Going On With Filming
There have been rumors about "tensions" at Warner Bros. and DC Studios regarding the Superman movie's production. Some reports mentioned "mixed reception" at a test screening. They suggested that Gunn's humor was too heavy in earlier cuts. This led to "a series of changes" including the movie's tone and some jokes being cut. A rumored runtime of 122 minutes was floating around. It was said that 25 minutes had been removed. It was also reported that an editor was replaced. This led to a "slight reworking of the film's structure" where some scenes were moved around and small scenes were added during recent reshoots. A new composer was hired to "reshape the score." An insider called it a "slight course correction." The tone might have been changing recently.
However James Gunn himself has spoken up. He debunked the rumor of a 2-hour 2-minute runtime for his upcoming Superman movie. Gunn stated that the film is "almost totally locked." They are just finishing a few visual effects shots. This means the movie is very close to being done. For comparison 2013's Man of Steel was 2 hours and 33 minutes long. The 1978 Superman movie was 2 hours and 23 minutes long. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace from 1987 holds the record for the shortest runtime for a live-action Superman movie. That film is often called the worst Superman movie by many people.
Viewer Anon on X also shared similar info. They said that when you include all the extra filming there was less than a week of total additional photography on Superman. This suggests that while there may have been adjustments they were not huge reworks. Despite the rumors it seems there is more confidence that Superman will be a good film. This is good news for fans hoping for a strong start to the new DCU.
What Else We Know About James Gunn's Upcoming Superman Film
Familiar Faces and Fresh Details About the DC Universe's New Beginning
The Superman movie was first announced in 2023. Gunn revealed his plans for the DC Universe starting with Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. This will be the first film in this new DC chapter before Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow starring Milly Alcock. Gunn has hinted that this movie will show a different part of Superman's life that many people have not seen. Rachel Brosnahan who plays Lois Lane has also confirmed that Superman is not an origin story.
The movie will feature many characters from the DC world. This includes Krypto the Superdog Guy Gardner who is Green Lantern played by Nathan Fillion Hawkgirl played by Isabela Merced Mister Terrific played by Edi Gathegi Rex Mason who is Metamorpho played by Anthony Carrigan and Jimmy Olsen played by Skyler Gisondo. These additions suggest a rich world for the new DCU. The two trailers released for the upcoming Superman movie show the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane. They also show the new characters and the hero's mixed relationship with regular people on Earth. Not everyone agrees with his actions as a hero. The movie is set to fly into theaters on July 11 2025.
James Gunn's Superman film certainly carries a lot of pressure. It needs to do some heavy work to win back audiences. The earlier DC Extended Universe did not live up to its full potential. So the coming film will need to get many things right to be a successful movie this summer. The relationship between Lois and Clark is a very important part of this. The earlier movies did not always get this right. Lois and Clark have one of the most famous romances in all of comics. The recent Superman & Lois TV show did show a strong updated version of their love story. But that series also took a different path since it happened many years later. It is clear that Gunn is aiming to deliver a new take on this beloved hero and his world.