‘What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely.’
These lines by Christopher Reeve, unarguably the most prolific ‘Superman’, who played the caped superhero over four films in the 1970s-’80s, aptly sums up what the concept of Superman stands for. Created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the legend of Superman — born on Krypton and brought up in Kansas — has come alive over the last nine decades in comic books, films, television shows, theatre, radio serials, novels and video games.
On July 11, Superman storms into theatres globally in a new film, which could mark a turn for the character, coming as it does a dozen years after Henry Cavill’s memorable portrayal in Man of Steel. After that, Superman has been seen on screen several times, including Batman v Superman (2016) and Justice League (2017), but it is the eponymous film this Friday that well and truly brings Superman back onto our screens.
Written and directed by James Gunn, it will be the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) produced by DC Studios and the second reboot of the Superman film series. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, with Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced making up the rest of the star-studded ensemble. The film follows Superman’s journey to reconcile his alien heritage with his adoptive human family.
In many ways, Superman is a return to the simple values of the character — an unassuming reporter at the fictional newspaper Daily Planet whose superhuman abilities see him metamorphose into a superhero who symbolises everything that is great and good. And while David Corenswet is well aware of the comparisons that will arise between his portrayal and that of his predecessors, particularly Cavill, the 31-year-old strapping actor — a shoo-in for the part, physically — is happy to be taking forward the mantle of the iconic hero.
AN OLD-NEW SUPERMAN
“When you are lucky enough to play a character that has been around for almost 100 years and has had so many great actors and artists contribute to its legacy and image, all that you want to do is honour the great work that has been poured into the character over the last century — whether it is from writers, artists, actors, directors.... You feel gratitude and humility for joining a pantheon of great artistes and, hopefully, you are able to illuminate something new about the character or you bring it to a new audience or a new generation. This film will be the first exposure to Superman for a generation of young people or for an audience that knows of Superman but hasn’t found their way in yet,” Corenswet told t2oS in an India exclusive chat over a Zoom call.
Superman director James Gunn, who is also the co-CEO of DC Studios
He added: “I am certain that James (Gunn, the director of Superman), being such a fan of the character and of the great people who have contributed to the character over the last years, is going to bring something that anybody who loves Superman and knows Superman, is going to be very excited to see.”
Gunn, who is also co-CEO at DC Studios and is working towards steering the iconic studio — that has also given us Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and many more superheroes — talks about a tonal shift in his iteration of Superman and is quick to acknowledge that every creator “comes to Superman with their own stuff”. We spoke to Gunn one sunny morning a few months ago. Seated in his living room, the man appeared relaxed, well aware of the pressure he was taking on with the new film but not allowing himself to be weighed down by it. “One of the fun things about an iconic character like Superman is seeing him through the lens of different artists. I love looking at Richard Donner’s Superman, John Byrne’s Superman, Max Fleischer’s Superman or Zack Snyder’s Superman.... It is fun for me to see all these different versions of Superman reflected differently. I like all of them,” Gunn told t2oS during the course of a long, freewheeling tete-a-tete.
His Superman, Gunn reiterates, is a “very grounded version”. “He is very human. We are seeing his inner life in a way we never have seen before. This is a story personal to Superman. It is about his own emotional journey, which we have not seen before. The human side of what makes him tick, the human side of what his fears and vulnerabilities are, in addition to just his physical fears,” says Gunn.
HERO FOR THE AGES
For Corenswet, Superman — possibly one of the most favourite superheroes of generations of kids, despite his questionable U/A choice of costume (we will come to that later) — remains relevant because he is a hero for the ages. When asked what makes Superman a perennial favourite, the actor told t2oS: “I think it is his simplicity. Being one of the first original superheroes, he has very simple origins. He fights bad guys and he stands up for the average person. He is a protector. He is a marvel to look at. He dresses in bright colours and is visible from blocks and blocks away,” is Corenswet’s rather simple, yet apt, breakdown of Superman’s appeal. He adds: “He is an amazingly complicated and rich character, but that simplicity, that purity, of when you see somebody walk by wearing a Superman shirt, means to everybody — even if you have never seen a movie or read a comic book — symbolises the best of us and what we strive to be in our best moments.”
But does simplicity often get misconstrued as boring, with Superman, over the years — especially with the kind of good-bad superheroes flipping into supervillains in the age we live in — almost edging towards becoming a vanilla superhero? Gunn begs to differ. “I don’t think of him as neutral, in the least,” he smiles. “I do think that some people see him as Pollyanna and old fashioned. But I also think that is part of his charm and part of what makes Superman different. He is the son of a Kansas farmer. He is a simple guy who believes in core values.”
Gunn also weighs in on how Superman contrasts with those who are immediately within his periphery — ladylove Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan) and arch nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). “Superman (aka Clark Kent) believes that everyone is essentially good. But Lois is a journalist... she is very skeptical, she is always looking for what the truth is. She is always looking for the hitch. Those two personalities come together in a way that is both fiery and passionate, but also causes a lot of conflicts,” he tells t2oS.
“Then, there is Lex who superimposes his own way of looking at the world on Superman. He looks at Superman like how an artist would look at AI — as the next best thing. Lex thinks he is the best thing, and so that is difficult for him. It is an opportunity to see this iconic character in a world that more clearly matches our current world,” elucidates Gunn, whose superhero cred is all-encompassing, having directed the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Suicide Squad within the DC Extended Universe.
Corenswet — who has a lot in common with Christopher Reeve: at 6’4”, they are the tallest actors to have played Superman and both gained 40lbs of muscle prior to filming — believes that Superman is different from other superheroes because not only does he represent humanity at its best, he is also timeless. “He is an American hero and an American symbol. He is always striving to be a symbol of goodness, hope and perseverance. Like any interesting hero, he is not perfect and he admits that he is not perfect. He is just willing to get up every morning and try to do his best. He is willing to take the criticism and the punches from the world around him,” the disarmingly handsome actor sears the screen with his smiling intensity as he speaks to us. He also acknowledges the fact that Superman was born in a tumultuous time in America and the world in general and has survived strongly through the last century, through so many different times. “He has had iterations that sort of fit to those times or a product of those times,” says Corenswet. “Our film is ultimately about making an amazing, fun, epic, action-packed adventure that speaks to people and, ultimately, to their humanity.”
Coming back to the Christopher Reeve connection, Will Reeve — Chris’s youngest son who works at ABC News — puts in a cameo in this film.
WALKING THE TIGHTROPE
Gunn is cognisant of the fact that creating his Superman has been a balance — between retaining the core ethos of the superhero so as to keep the purists happy, but also introduce new elements to bring in new audiences. “It definitely has been a tightrope. I come from the place of an artiste creating stories. So I don’t necessarily think about keeping everyone happy. With a character who is as well known as Superman, or Batman or Spider-Man or any of the big superheroes, everybody has a different idea about what they are supposed to be. You can’t please everyone... that is just the way it is. However, there are things that are incredibly core pieces of Superman. And I had to try to walk a tightrope of what is core to his personality, what are those elements we can play with to sort of keep the story alive, to give people a reason to go see this Superman over any of the past Supermans, to be able to make a movie that is thrilling and exciting and surprising. That is the balance.”
Corenswet says that while Gunn’s “solid script” is what proved to be his Bible, his director did nudge him towards classic comic-book titles like Superman for All Seasons and All-Star Superman.
Gunn has mentioned a host of Superman comics as the inspiration for his film, and he has also said to have invited several comic book creators to the set, including Frank Quitely, Jim Lee, Kevin Maguire, Scott Snyder, John Ostrander, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and Jason Aaron.
A STEP-UP
During our conversation, Corenswet points out how, despite the material they drew on for inspiration, this Superman film is its own beast, clearly and cleverly shaped by Gunn’s — who is also its writer — vision and imagination. “When I read James’s script, I came across so many new things — like Superman robots, Krypto and all these other elements of this fantastical universe — that haven’t appeared on the big screen before.”
Gunn explains it further, taking t2oS into the world of his Superman, and whetting our appetite for what awaits us on July 11. He says: “We are coming into a world that is populated with superpowered beings, monsters and magical creatures, but it is also a world that is like ours. In that way, it is much more like Star Wars or Game of Thrones. I wanted to hark back to a lot of the Silver Age — ’50s science-fiction elements that I think are really cool in DC Comics. We have robots and giant monsters and Lex is the world’s smartest man who is a scientific genius. There are portals and alternate universes. I wanted to have all that fun stuff in there and see Superman with those elements that are very common to Superman comics and are especially inspired by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman tonally, but mixed with the groundedness of real human relationships.”
TRUNK CALL!
A Superman accoutrement that has always invited a fair bit of chatter and curiosity is his familiar red-and-blue caped costume, and, of course, the scarlet trunks that he controversially wears over his pants.
In this film, the Superman costume brings back the famous red trunks to live-action, being made definitive for the first time since Superman Returns (2006). Gunn knows that conversation is on the anvil, and he is all ready for it. “I knew the suit was going to be a controversial element because I learned early on, that everybody, their brother and their sister had an opinion about what the Superman suit was supposed to look like! I didn’t know exactly where we were going to end up. But I did know that I wanted to stay away from the wet T-shirt look of some of the recent different superhero outfits that have been done,” he says.
What Gunn — and costume designer Judianna Makovsky — went in for was what Gunn believed “the character would actually wear”.
“I definitely didn’t want to have something that had muscles sewn in, which some recent suits have had. I also wanted something that was bright and colourful to match the film but not so bright and colourful that it became overwhelming,” he adds.
And then, of course, was the trunks debate — to have or not to have? Gunn confesses that it was “a difficult conversation”. “I had many, many different versions of the suit with trunks and without trunks. And at the end of the day, I told Judi (Judianna Makovsky) to do a version with trunks and one without trunks. We tried both on — Zack (Snyder) had said that he had tried hundreds of versions with the trunks and it never worked out. I thought it was going to be the same for us... that we were going to go without trunks.
“And then I was talking to David Corenswet whether he liked it with or without trunks. He said: ‘I like the trunks’. And I was like: ‘Really?!’ He said that because he plays an outer space alien who shoots beams out of his eyes that could really scare people, hence, he wanted to dress in a way that would make people think he was as friendly as possible,” laughs Gunn.
He further reiterates: “This brings us back to how Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman, seeing him as a sort of modern wrestling figure, wearing some sort of wrestling garb. David said that he wants to be the kind of Superman that is loved by kids and so he is going to do whatever he needs to have kids run up and hug him. And so, we went with trunks.”
Corenswet was well aware of what it would take to do justice to the iconic costume. Muscle-building was essential to be Superman. When asked by us what went into slipping into the costume, the actor said: “I have been a string bean my whole life and Superman is not a string bean. So I got the chance finally to put on a bunch of weight, a bunch of mass. I spent four-six months just lifting heavy things, eating as much as I could and sleeping as much as I felt like, which was a great challenge but also very rewarding.”
‘EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ON SUPERMAN’
Circling back to the question of how to keep audiences happy with an old but also new iteration of Superman, Corenswet, like Gunn, is aware of the fact that it is tough to please everyone.
“Everybody is going to have an idea, opinion, dogma or Bible about what Superman is, what he should be, how he should look, how he should talk, how he should act. I think that is great. I love to see people care so much about a great story in the same way that they care about the sports teams they support. Ultimately, we can all admit that it is not life or death, but it is fun to get that excited and invested in stuff that isn’t life or death. And it builds relations. Some of my closest friends and I, as kids, would argue about Star Wars all the time. We cared about it and it meant something to us. That is part of what makes it so valuable,” he puts it aptly.
He also iterates what his Superman means, and what Superman means to him. “What I kept in mind was an interview that Grant Morrison — who contributed to All-Star Superman — gave. The impetus behind that comic was seeing a man dressed as Superman who wasn’t standing proud, chest puffed up, strutting around and saying: ‘I am the most powerful superhero in the universe’. He was sort of sitting on a curb, hunched over, unassuming. That really appealed to me — the idea of Superman as the ultimate superhero who ultimately just wants to be a regular guy. He gets to do that as Clark Kent. But even as Superman, he wants to be the guy that people can ask for help — ranging from saving the world to just giving directions to the nearest library. He ultimately wants to be the figure that a kid could come up to and say: ‘I can’t find my mom’. And he would say: ‘Well, let me take a quick look around and we will find her.’ That is what spoke to me about the character.”
THE ENTRY OF KRYPTO
Another aspect that has fans excited about this film is that this is the first time we get to see Krypto — Superman’s much-loved canine companion — in a live-action film. Besides the demand of the script, it also came from Gunn’s inherent love for dogs. “Dogs are my favourite thing in the world. I like dogs even more than I like movies. They are easy and fun for me to write... I like the innocence and silliness of a dog, as well as their presence,” Gunn tells us, the warmth in his voice palpable as he talks about this aspect of his film.
“In this case, we have a particularly troublesome dog who brings in a lot of elements to the story that wouldn’t otherwise be there if he wasn’t such an ill-behaved animal. I also really like the ’50s, especially the ’50s science-fiction elements, and the larger-than-life stuff, that were brought into the comics, whether it is Krypto the super dog or the Superman family in general... or the later elements like the Superman robots that we have at the beginning of the film. I love the Fortress of Solitude and there is a lot of stuff with that.
“We have also added elements of our own. There is Kaiju, Lex Luthor has portals to a pocket universe. And I thought Krypto fit in nicely. We see him at the beginning of the movie and we go: ‘Oh, this is different from other Superman movies’. At the beginning, people said: ‘Oh, he is just doing Richard Donner’s Superman’. But we are not... it is our Superman!”
THE TRANSITION
The Clark Kent to Superman transition has always been tricky, with a lot of people, through the decades, joking about how do people not recognise the man when he becomes Superman, when he doesn’t even wear a mask! Gunn has an answer for that. “David worked in the way that Chris Reeve did. He is presenting himself in a completely different way. David is a big, strapping huge guy. As Superman, for him, it is chest out, hair slicked back. When it comes to Clark Kent, it is hair down. He is just this big, unwieldy clod who has a difficult time getting through life. He wears boxy suits off the shelf. I think David really pushed the boundaries of that.”
