Before Superman soars into theaters this week, DC fans can get a behind-the-scenes look at how James Gunn brings the Man of Steel to life. Superman is the first theatrical release in James Gunn’s new DC Universe, and is the opening salvo of several projects to follow. But before we get ahead of ourselves, an excerpt from Superman: The Art and Making of the Film brings in Gunn, as well as David Corenswet (Clark Kent/Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) to give insight into the differences between Clark Kent and his superhero alter ego, Superman.
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ComicBook can exclusively reveal an excerpt from Superman: The Art and Making of the Film. We learn that when audiences meet Superman, he’ll already be a few years into his career, with Clark Kent already a successful journalist, achieving his first front-page article for Metropolis’ Daily Planet. “Clark is a work in the making by Superman. He doesn’t want the cat to be let out of the bag, but he’s also a very real part of Superman, who does have his failings (many of which Lois points out in their big argument),” recalled director James Gunn. “I even say in the script, it’s commonly said that Superman is the real guy and Clark is the mask — and I think that’s true in some ways — but I think no one can truly know Superman who doesn’t know both Superman and Clark. This makes Clark and the Kents part of a very elite group.”
Next, David Corenswet gives his opinion on how Superman is different from other heroes. “He wants his superhero persona to be more of an abstract symbol, and he wants to keep his peronal life separate so that he protects the people that he loves — because Superman isn’t omnipresent enough to be able to protect all the people he loves at the same time,” began Corenswet. “The reason that James and I have discussed for him having an alter ego in this iteration is his love of humanity, and that it’s not a character he plays, it’s the version of himself that he grew up thinking he was before he realized that he was an alien and adopted and all that stuff.”
Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, and she walked away impressed with Corenswet’s duality in playing both Clark Kent and Superman. “I’ll never forget when we were testing, right as I was leaving, I walked past this fitting room, and David was trying on a version of the suit. I didn’t know we had the job, and I just remember looking at him in the suit and being like, my god, he just is Superman, and he is Clark,” she said. “There’s an earnestness to both of them that feels really unique, and it’s been awesome to watch him craft the two characters and then craft that thing in the middle.”
George Reeves, the live-action Clark Kent of the ’50s who wore a slightly boxy, lighter suit than other incarnations, became an inspiration for Corenswet’s Clark Kent. “The minute [David] put the double-breasted suit on, and he started playing with it and with this bag that wouldn’t stay on his shoulder, we called James, and he went, ‘This is the first time, I believe, that this is a different guy than Superman because he looks so completely different,’” said costume designer Judianna Makovsky.
Superman opens in theaters on July 11th. Let us know your thoughts on the excerpt from Superman: The Art and Making of the Film in the comments below! The book goes on sale November 18th, and you can pre-order a copy here.
Excerpt from the upcoming book Superman: The Art and Making of the Film (Abrams) by James Field, available wherever books are sold on November 18, 2025
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