James Gunn Releases Superman-Themed Christmas Messages on Social Media

James Gunn took to social media this morning to share holiday greetings for fans — complete with a couple of different images of Superman. The DC Studios co-chief and Guardians of the Galaxy director has been all-Superman, all the time as he heads into production on Superman: Legacy in the spring, so it’s no surprise to see that he’s sharing some art featuring the Man of Steel this year. After all, there are some pretty great Superman stories set at Christmas, since he’s basically the bright, shining beacon of superheroes. Putting him in a Christmas story is as natural as putting Batman in a Halloween one.

While one of the pieces he shared is a piece of DC marketing art with no name attached (although Gene Gonzalez, Jon Bogdanove, and Brett Breeding have all done Superman art for Warner Bros. Consumer Products in recent years), Gunn made sure to credit the comics artist in his second. That piece hailed from Mitch Gerads, a frequent collaborator with Tom King. King, of course, is one of a number of people working on the new DC Universe with Gunn.

Both images feature the same caption, reading, “Merry Christmas to one and all. I hope you all have a wonderful day with your family or your chosen family and friends. Much love and Godspeed!”

You can see his Instagram post below.

Superman: Legacy stars David Corenswet as the title character, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Reports emerged soon after the SAG-AFTRA strike wrapped up, suggesting that the movie is likely to start production in the spring (Gunn confirmed last week that it will start in March), giving it about a year and a half from the first day of filming until its theatrical release. That’s roughly in line with Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, which started production in November of 2021 and was released in April of this year.

Gunn previously said on Threads that Creature Commandos, the animated series that serves as the DCU’s first project overall, is still on track for a 2024 release on Max.

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 will be in theaters on July 11, 2025.