Posted in: Movies, Superman, Warner Bros | Tagged: superman, Superman (2025)

Superman: Bonnie Discepolo on James Gunn's Process, Directing & More

Bonnie Discepolo (Hypnotic) spoke to Bleeding Cool about Superman director James Gunn's attention to detail and organic process.

Bonnie Discepolo is on her way up in Hollywood, building her acting and directing filmography and making some wonderful friends in the process. Not only did her friendship with director James Gunn provide a role in the highly profile tentpole sequel in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), but it also landed her in Gunn's debut feature as head of DC Studios, Superman (2025) as Ms. Jessop, an associate of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), the arch nemesis of the title character played by David Corenswet. Discepolo spoke to Bleeding Cool about how her experience on Gunn's sets differs from other projects, how being around Gunn on set helped in her directing, whether we can expect her in DC TV projects, Peacemaker season two, or Lanterns, and updates on her directing projects.

Superman: Bonnie Discepolo on How James Gunn is Meticulous and Organic on His Sets

I spoke to Frank Grillo (Rick Flag, Sr) months back about his work on the DC universe, and he beamed about James Gunn's way of delivering nuance to his characters compared to his work with other creatives. Did it feel that way while you're working with James on 'Superman?'

It's peak experience. James does something I respect so much that he makes sure the script is as good as he can make it. Every step of the way, he's going back and making sure the blueprints for the story he's telling are so great, and so dialed in. He is constantly saying, "Can I make this better? Is there anything that needs to change?" To work with someone who has that attention to detail and excellence is all you ever want.

On top of that, he only hires nice people. You go to this set where one, the script is tip-top. You're only saying what needs to be said as a character to drive the story forward. It's heartfelt, no fluff, it's important, and you're driving the story forward. It is this necessary urgency to the storytelling. Everyone is at the top of their game, so he's hiring excellent people, and then, they're all incredibly kind.

You're showing up to work and you are like, "Oh, this is the dream. This is what we all thought we would get to do when we're five years old, watching 'Superman' or 'Star Wars.' That's the magic of cinema, except then you get here and it's not always like that. To get to spend a couple of weeks on that set with these incredible people like David Corenswet, Nicholas Holt, and James Gunn, you're just like, "It doesn't get better than this. This is peak!"

When we spoke last time, you were working on 'Hypnotic.' You told me you were observing Robert Rodriguez as a director yourself. What did you observe from James' set?

It's interesting because with acting and directing, I'm thinking and observing while I'm doing the film at the same time. In this case…always the script, but the thing James does on set that I was like, "Oh, I need to be more like this" is he's watching and he has that perfect blueprint: the script he wants to make, his shot list, and getting all that, but then he's also open-(minded). If he gets an idea, if something inspires him, and he sees something he thinks will be funny, he will still do it. He'll be like, "Okay, do this now," and it's not necessarily in the script or may not make the cut, but he's open to surprises. He's open to letting himself be joyfully surprised, and then letting his team try that new thing, and that is great. In general, he's good at making actors remember that they're enough, and he is like, "No, I hired you to do you. You're enough." That's a beautiful thing to remember in general. You don't have to prove it. You don't need to do anything more than be there. Enjoy the moment.

Any chance we might also see you in 'Lanterns' or season two of 'Peacemaker?'

Let's ask James Gunn! [laughs]

Can you talk about your upcoming directing projects?

I am hoping that they are coming to screens near you soon. They're all in, various stages of development. 'Neo-Dome' is playing the circuit right now. That's what I'm out there. We just played at SAG, and we're going to Indie Shorts [Fest]. There's another one coming up very soon that I can't announce yet, but I'm excited about.

Warner Bros' Superman, which also stars Rachel Brosnahan, Skyler Gisondo, Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, Isabella Merced, Wendell Pierce, and Beck Bennett is now playing in theaters.

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