James Gunn Debunks Controversial Superman: Legacy Rumor

As James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy gets closer to starting production, the rumors have inevitably started to swirl. One that got some traction over the weekend involved a purported story for the movie, but Gunn told fans on Instagram that there’s no truth to it. The comments came under Gunn’s most recent Instagram post, in which he shared a wall of images drawn from A Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Among the handful of questions he answered from fans, Gunn was quizzed on the supposed leak, and denied it outright, giving no other details.

According to ViewerAnon, who attracts a lot of attention on social media and beyond for their “scoops” about upcoming movies, the movie’s villain would be Brainiac, who would feed Kryptonian technology to terrorists, leading Amanda Waller and other government officials to believe Superman was a threat.

Here’s the report, via a Reddit post:

Heard some stuff about SUPERMAN: LEGACY. I trust the source but this stuff is always fuzzy.

Superman’s early in his career and isn’t widely known. His big public reveal happens in the Middle East, where terrorists have gotten ahold of Kryptonian tech.

Waller and Sam Lane send in the Authority to investigate – they believe Superman is responsible. Superman learned of the tech in the Fortress of Solitude and hopes it will be the missing puzzle piece to discover where he comes from.

Anyway, the big bad is Brainiac behind everything. As said in the first post, I trust the source but it’s all a game of telephone with info passed ear to ear, so we’ll see how much of this (if anything) pans out. Sounds solid to me though if it’s true.

The entirety of the exchange on Instagram was, after being asked to debunk it by a fan who didn’t like the sound of the “leak,” Gunn said, “It isn’t true.”

Superman: Legacy stars David Corenswet as the title character, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Little is known about the story of Superman: Legacy, other than that it will involve a version of Superman who is settled into his role as the world’s protector, but who also has a network of allies to fall back on. Gotham‘s Anthony Carrigan is set to appear in the movie as Metamorpho, and other superheroes in the film include Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi). Superman’s origin story, already shown in a number of prior film adaptations, won’t take up a significant amount of real estate in Legacy, according to prior statements from Gunn.

Gunn is lining up some familiar talent on the project, with cinematographer Henry Braham (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3); production designer Beth Mickle (The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3); costume designer Judianna Makovsky (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Avengers: Endgame); and art director David Scott (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Spider-Man: No Way Home). Casting is by Yellowstone and Oppenheimer‘s John Papsidera.

Superman: Legacy is expected in theaters on July 11, 2025.