James Gunn Finally Explains Why He Dropped “Legacy” From Superman’s Title

Filmmaker James Gunn initially announced that his upcoming Superman movie would be titled “Superman: Legacy,” only to then confirm that the movie would instead earn the more straightforward title Superman. While there were likely several factors that influenced these decisions, Gunn confirmed that, despite Superman having an onscreen legacy that goes back decades, he hoped this new adventure would set the stage for the future of the franchise, so the simpler title of Superman would echo how the movie was meant to look forward than to serve as a reflection on the past. Superman is set to land in theaters on July 11, 2025.

“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,” Gunn shared with ComicBook during a Superman set visit. “We go into a room with me and all the department heads and we say, ‘Let’s say this movie is a colossal f-ck-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?’”

He continued, “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.”

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While DC’s Caped Crusader has earned 1966’s Batman, 1989’s Batman, and 2022’s The Batman, filmmakers have found other ways to title Superman stories. Even the first Superman movie in 1978 is referred to as “Superman: The Movie” in certain materials, making Gunn’s decision to take the most simple approach possible to the title feel unexpectedly bold.

“One of the things was, I thought maybe the title … had a looking back feeling about it, and this isn’t about looking back, this is about looking forward,” the filmmaker detailed. “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 … and whose legacy is he, really? And so it’s about that. But I think as a title … it felt too looking back.”

Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.