How long will audiences have to “look up” at James Gunn’s new Superman movie? The good news is that we now know it won’t be a three-hour neck stretch—not even close. James Gunn himself confirmed that during a press event this week for the launch of the Superman teaser trailer after ComicBook’s Chris Killian asked what the run time was on the Superman reboot film. While Gunn didn’t reveal the exact run time in his response, he did confirm that Superman is “well under three hours… Under two and a half.”
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Will James Gunn’s Superman Be the Shortest Version Yet?
It’s become a fun piece of DC movie trivia that Richard Donner’s Superman and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel both have the same exact run time of 143 minutes (or two hours and 23 minutes). Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns bucked the trend by tacking on even more screen time, coming in at a controversial 154 minutes (or two hours and 34 minutes).
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Gunn is clearly drawing inspiration from Donner’s original Superman film – including a new version of John Williams’ iconic Superman theme song. It isn’t hard to imagine Gunn aiming to match the run time of Donner’s Superman movie, as 143 minutes is still “well under three hours,” and technically “under two and a half.” It would be another Easter egg ode to Superman‘s cinematic legacy — but still a 50/50 risk with audiences: most people love the epic feel of Donner’s film (no matter the length); conversely, most fans were critical of Snyder over Man of Steel‘s run time, so it really will depend on how Gunn tells the story.
We know that Superman will plunge fans into a fully formed DCU, where Superman and many other superheroes are already active around the globe. Gunn has teased that these appearances from other heroes won’t be distractions, but will rather be brushstrokes of the larger DCU David Corenswet’s Superman exists in. Between examining Superman’s status quo, his world of supporting characters (Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, the Kents), and the rivalry between Lex Luthor and Superman, there’s more than enough for a two-hour movie. Peppering in scenes where Superman (even briefly) encounters other DCU characters in organic or episodic ways would easily add some additional run time.
Superman stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemore as Otis, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific, and Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent, Neva Howell as Martha Kent, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, and Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe. There will also be appearances from Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, and Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.
Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
