As the development of Superman: Legacy continues, it has been recently announced that James Gunn’s reboot of the blue boy scout will include additional superhero characters. The characters in question are Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern who will be portrayed by Nathan Fillion, Hawkgirl, who will be played by Isabela Merced, and Mister Terrific, who is set to be played by Edi Gathegi. These characters are not only among the newest to be featured in Gunn’s new DC film universe, but also the first time they would be represented in the film world.
Deadline is reporting on James Gunn’s excitement for including these new characters in his Superman film as he also explains why he has decided to go with them in particular. Gunn shared a post on the brand new social media site, Threads, in which he stated, “Superman: Legacy opens two years from today. It may seem far away to many of you, but it’s close to me! We have a lot to do between now and then. But I haven’t been more excited about a project in forever… and this cast, slowly coming together… holy cow…”
Gunn continues to engage with the fans on Threads as he did on Twitter, and, after he made his posting, a fan would respond to him asking, “What compelled you to put these characters in a Superman story?” Gunn, in usual fashion, would answer, but not explain in great detail so as not to give away too much, “They fit the story I’m telling. Story always comes first.” Other fans on the new medium inquired if these actors are intended to recur throughout the new universe, to which Gunn simply responded, “Yes.” And another user asked if Superman: Legacy will feature a Jimmy Olsen appearance and Gunn replied, “Yes it will.”
Love him or hate him, Gunn’s comic book movie career has been paraded with the more obscure characters from Marvel’s universe, and he’s managed to make audiences care about them. The first Guardians of the Galaxy was considered a great risk for the expanding film studio since they were seen as unconventional and goofy. Gunn turned that first film into a major hit for the MCU. And as people once scoffed at the idea of a walking, talking tree and a warrior raccoon, now they are beloved pop culture characters. Characters in The Suicide Squad haven’t quite made the same splash, although John Cena was able to parlay a Peacemaker series out of it.