ScreenRant’s own Rob Keyes visited the Superman movie set alongside other outlets in Cleveland, Ohio, in June, where James Gunn revealed the reason for Superman‘s surprise title change. Gunn explained that the change came from a process he describes as a “pre-mortem” of the movie, with Gunn and the department heads on Superman getting together before production started to think about possible problems the movie could have when it releases, in order to prevent them from happening.
That meeting led to Gunn realizing Superman: Legacy had “a looking back feeling,” when the DCU movie is all about looking forward. Gunn states that legacy is still a core theme of the film, with David Corenswet’s Clark Kent finding his place in the world in the Superman movie’s story. Check out the full quote below:
“James Gunn: Well, I still think it has that aspect of ‘Legacy’ in it. We do this thing called the pre-mortem before we started shooting. You ever hear of this? It’s great. We go into a room with me and all the department heads, and we say, ‘let’s say this movie is a colossal fuck-up.’ We find out two years from now, when this movie comes out, it goes terribly wrong. What are we doing right now that we’re not talking about, that we’re doing this, making this movie wrong? It gives a chance for all of the parties involved to speak their mind, whether it’s about the script, whether it’s about the casting, whether it’s about how departments aren’t communicating with each other. Everybody is allowed, from transportation to whatever, they’re all allowed to say what they think. And I found it extremely helpful.
And one of the things was, I thought maybe the title was they had a looking back feeling about it. And this isn’t about looking back, this is about looking forward, so, although when you see the movie, you’ll understand where Legacy comes from because it is, again, it’s about Clark and his relationship to the script. How many parents lose their relationship to human parents and whose legacy is he really? And so it’s about that. But I think as a title I felt it, it felt too looking back.”
What James Gunn’s Explanation Of Superman’s Title Change Means
The DC Title Change Was All About Perspective
There have been many live-action versions of Superman, with David Corenswet’s Man of Steel coming after two recent takes on the character concluded — Henry Cavill’s in the DCEU and Tyler Hoechlin’s in Superman & Lois. While the DCU’s first Superman movie will touch on the character’s legacy, be it through homages in its score, costumes, visuals, and more, the film is all about a fresh start for the hero. As the first project in James Gunn’s DC Universe, Superman has the job of ushering in a new era for the character and DC as a whole.
Gunn’s comments on how Superman will follow Clark Kent as he finds his place in the world explains why Superman: Legacy was chosen as the movie’s title. However, the director also brings along fine points related to the title change. Superman: Legacy did feel like it was looking back too much, like Gunn mentioned, and if the filmmaker’s desire with the project was to look forward at what Superman can mean to the world as it is today, then going for the simple Superman title was really the best move.
Our Take On James Gunn’s Explanation Of Superman’s Title Change
The New Superman Movie Title Is Perfect
I think James Gunn’s Superman title change explanation makes perfect sense. While the core theme of the DCU’s first film could still be about legacy and Clark Kent trying to figure out where he really belongs, as a title, Superman: Legacy did sound like too much of a look at the past. After the DCEU ended with many controversial moments and decisions, the studio is trying to start fresh and bring in an exciting new comic book universe with the DCU. Superman is about the future and how the hero shapes it, so its original title did sound outdated.
Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
