The Biggest Challenge Facing James Gunn"s 2025 Superman Movie Is Nailed By Todd McFarlane"s Insightful Analysis
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Comic book legend Todd McFarlane explains what James Gunn"s Superman needs to accomplish in order to establish the character as a modern DC icon. James Gunn"s 2025 Superman movie will be the first live-action, theatrical movie in the new DC Universe. As such, it will set the stage for an expansive franchise filled with famous and obscure DC characters. With the DCU"s first chapter already containing at least twelve projects and a ten-year plan in development, it"s Superman"s mission to make a good first impression on the big screen.
Image Comics president and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane speaks to Screen Rant about the importance of getting Superman right in the DCU. McFarlane emphasizes how important it is for Gunn and the DCU to update the character for modern audiences while retaining all the qualities that made him an icon for various generations of comic book readers. The artist calls Superman a "classic boy scout" and a "perfect superhero" who could appear to "a 20-year-old today" as much as to "all of us that were born in the 1900s." Read Todd McFarlane"s full comments below:
[indent] I have no insight into any of their conversations, but if I was sitting at the table, the thing that would be the hardest to do – and the thing that I think needs to be done, even though I have no idea how you"d do it – is how do you take a character that"s been around so long… So long that not only does your mom know about it, but your grandparents know about it, and make a character that your grandparents used to know relevant today? That"s hard because there"s a stigma of like, “That"s Mom and Dad stuff. We’ve got cool hip stuff over here.” How do you make Mickey Mouse relevant to kids today when you have Buzz Lightyear?
I don"t know what the answer is, right? There"s new, sexier characters that come along.
Superman is this classic boy scout, perfect superhero. What do you have to modify to get a 20-year-old today who wasn"t even born in the 1900s – they were born this century – That"s it. If you can do that, then that Big S in that word Superman is going to appeal to all of us that were born in the 1900s. That"s it. That would be the goal I would give. I’d go, “Okay, James, now do that,” and hope that they come back and give you some great ideas behind it. So, we"ll see.
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Image Comics president and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane speaks to Screen Rant about the importance of getting Superman right in the DCU. McFarlane emphasizes how important it is for Gunn and the DCU to update the character for modern audiences while retaining all the qualities that made him an icon for various generations of comic book readers. The artist calls Superman a "classic boy scout" and a "perfect superhero" who could appear to "a 20-year-old today" as much as to "all of us that were born in the 1900s." Read Todd McFarlane"s full comments below:
[indent] I have no insight into any of their conversations, but if I was sitting at the table, the thing that would be the hardest to do – and the thing that I think needs to be done, even though I have no idea how you"d do it – is how do you take a character that"s been around so long… So long that not only does your mom know about it, but your grandparents know about it, and make a character that your grandparents used to know relevant today? That"s hard because there"s a stigma of like, “That"s Mom and Dad stuff. We’ve got cool hip stuff over here.” How do you make Mickey Mouse relevant to kids today when you have Buzz Lightyear?
I don"t know what the answer is, right? There"s new, sexier characters that come along.
Superman is this classic boy scout, perfect superhero. What do you have to modify to get a 20-year-old today who wasn"t even born in the 1900s – they were born this century – That"s it. If you can do that, then that Big S in that word Superman is going to appeal to all of us that were born in the 1900s. That"s it. That would be the goal I would give. I’d go, “Okay, James, now do that,” and hope that they come back and give you some great ideas behind it. So, we"ll see.
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