In an era where leaks – chiefly for big-budget franchise movies – are rampant, there is only so much that the filmmakers can do other than confirm or deny. And perhaps no other person has done his part more to shut people up than James Gunn, who has made it a habit of using social media to address leaks and rumors…which means he has been pretty busy doing just that over next year’s Superman.
James Gunn took to Threads to take on rumors that there were some sort of secret plot developments of Superman that fans were in the dark about. “The primary protagonist of Superman is, shockingly, Superman. The main villain of Superman is, shockingly, Lex Luthor. I don’t know where all the stuff is coming from that it’s something other than this.” He went on to address the influx of Superman rumors, saying they have no basis and that there’s really only one source to trust on the matters. “There are so many stories coming out every day it’s difficult to deal with and everytime I strike something down I’m giving it attention. So, I’ll say again, don’t believe anything unless you see it HERE (& why would you want to know everything before the movie comes out anyway?)”.
I especially like James Gunn’s point in wondering why people want to know every detail ahead of a movie’s release. The lack of surprise can downright spoil the fun, with really nothing to gain from it other than internet bragging rights, which in turn means spoilers for those trying to organically experience the film. So where do these rumors even come from? Mostly thin air or clues that aren’t really clues, all generated from people who might be posting just to get a rise in the community. With the case of James Gunn, who has been remarkably transparent with his followers, there’s also the “claim to fame” chance that he’ll respond directly to you, which itself doesn’t help kill the rumor mill.
As the IMAX-shot Superman isn’t due out until July 11th, 2025, James Gunn is certainly well aware that he’ll have a whole lot more rumor-blocking to do. The movie will launch the DC Universe, a soft reboot for the studio now co-run by Gunn and Peter Safran.