One of the taglines for the original 1978 Superman was “You’ll believe a man can fly,” as that film’s boundary-pushing visual effects depicted super-powered abilities unlike anything seen before. Almost 50 years later, cinematic effects have been pushed to new heights, both figuratively and literally. This put director James Gunn in an interesting position for his upcoming Superman, as he wanted to put a new perspective on actor David Corenswet taking to the skies as Superman, with Gunn recalling how he took major inspiration from Top Gun: Maverick when it came to depicting aerial action. Superman is set to land in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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“I wrote up this big document on action and what our philosophy is of action and how we shoot it and what it is, and keeping it alive in the air, as well as on the ground,” Gunn shared with ComicBook during a set visit for the film. “And to be able to shoot stuff in the sky as if we were shooting it … Because everything was rougher, like, it’s in Guardians [of the Galaxy], like it’s in The Suicide Squad. And being able to shoot stuff in the sky like that is really hard.”
He continued, “So we took a lot from films like Top Gun: Maverick, which, we are shooting flying things. We shoot a lot of our action with actual drones flying in and around Superman and the people that he’s flying with, The Engineer, whoever else, that he’s fighting up in the air, and we did that on sound stages. We got these really small, crazy drones now. We’ve got some of the best flyers in the world here who are working with it. And so we use those guys a lot and everything’s planned out with me, as it always is. But at the same time, I’ve gotten even more into finding new stuff on the set and new moments and exploring that stuff, finding magic where it is.”
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To say that the cinematic landscape has changed since director Richard Donner depicted Christopher Reeve taking to the sky in Superman would be a bit of an understatement. While Donner helped pave the way for superhero action, visual effects techniques of the last two decades have seen a larger emphasis on utilizing green-screen technology to depict otherworldly encounters. Not only do such techniques make virtually anything feel possible, but these methods are typically more affordable and efficient to utilize.
The drawback, however, is that with so many studios using the same techniques, it’s more challenging to find ways to aesthetically and stylistically stand out. While fans have yet to officially see footage of Superman, Gunn’s comments imply he has found ways to channel traditional filmmaking methods while also utilizing cutting-edge camera techniques to deliver something that feels entirely fresh.
Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.
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Image courtesy of DC Studios
