James Gunn Says Superman Is Inspired by the Best Godzilla Movie (& That’s Exciting)

It turns out that James Gunn’s new Superman took some inspirations by the best Godzilla movie in years, and that should be very exciting for fans of both. James Gunn might have a ton of experience when it comes to superhero feature films already through his work with both Marvel and DC Comics projects in the past, but Superman is the most anticipated project he’s ever worked on yet. It’s not only going to be the first Superman of a brand new era for DC’s films, but also feels a bit familiar in the kinds of nostalgic vibes it also seems to be giving off so far.

That’s something Toho had plenty of experience with when they launched Godzilla Minus One. It was both a brand new Godzilla film, but also a celebration of the franchise’s 70th anniversary. It walked the same kind of tightrope that James Gunn needs to with Superman, so it’s heartwarming to find out that James Gunn was directly inspired by the tone that Godzilla Minus One had set. Speaking to Cinema Today in Japan, the director opened up about how the kaiju film influenced his work overall.

James Gunn Talks Godzilla Inspirations

As fans might have seen in the Superman trailers so far, at one point Superman needs to fight a giant monster that has been simply named as “Kaiju” in promotional materials. This is the Japanese term used to refer to giant monsters often seen in Tokusatsu releases like Godzilla and Ultraman, and Gunn was very deliberate in that shout out stating that he was influenced by Tokusatsu, and that he hoped to fuse that with the film, “I tried to fuse elements like giant monsters, robots, flying dogs, other superheroes…” In fact, Gunn even directly called out Godzilla Minus One as an influence.

“My goal is to make a film that depicts Godzilla like Godzilla Minus One but also has a great human drama,” Gunn noted. “Superman and the flying dog (Krypto) also appear in this film, but at its core is a human story. The relationship between Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and (villain) Lex Luthor is at the core of the work.” It’s a tightrope that Gunn is looking to still deliver on big action, but the film wants to be sure that fans never lose sight of its characters at the center of it all and their very real emotions.

RELATED: Godzilla Minus One Director Teases Oscar-Worthy Team-Up for Next Movie

What’s Next for Godzilla Minus One?

Godzilla Minus One was the most successful Godzilla film release in Toho’s 70 year history of the franchise. Not only was it a smash hit in box offices around the world, but it also won Toho their very first Academy Award ever for its visual effects. It was such a success that Toho quickly announced that writer and director Takashi Yamazaki is returning to the Godzilla franchise for a new film. But it’s yet to be revealed what kind of form this new project will take.

Yamazaki himself has been playing coy as to whether or not this new film is a direct sequel to Godzilla Minus One, but stated the following when it was originally announced, “We’re going to be shooting a new Godzilla movie!…I’m here to tell you that I can’t announce any more about the new film,” Yamazaki began. “I’m really happy to see this excitement. I’m also happy that there are so many children here. Godzilla has gradually become something for adults, so the fact that there are more children as fans and that the next generation is growing is really good for Godzilla‘s future.”

HT – Cinema Today