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Superman: GL Guy Gardner Is "90% Flawed and Doesn't Care": Fillion
Superman star Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) on when he learned he would be playing Guy Gardner and why he connects with the Green Lantern.
Yesterday, we had a chance to hear what Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl) had to share about writer/director James Gunn's Superman – specifically, how excited she is to work with Nathan Fillion (Green Lantern Guy Gardner) and Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific). For this go-around, we're getting to hear from one of the two people Merced is excited about – with Fillion offering some insights into the DC Studios feature film. During an interview with Collider in support of the second season of Monsters at Work, Fillion shared when he first learned that he would be portraying Gardner and opens up about what it is about the character that he connects with.
"We were actually at the premiere party after 'Suicide Squad' and he [James Gunn] was in a huge crowd of people. We saw each other in the crowd, and I congratulated him, 'Oh, my God, that was amazing. It's so great.' He goes, 'Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we've got for you next?' I said, 'No, he hasn't said.' He looked around like someone was gonna be listening. We were in a throng of people, but he leaned over and said, 'You're gonna be Guy Gardner,'" Fillion shared regarding when he got the heads-up that he would be playing a major role in Gunn and co-DC Studios CEO Peter Safran's New DCU.
As for what attracts Fillion to both the specific role and overall DC Comics character, it all comes down to faults. "The reality is that people have flaws. We all have quirks. We all have vulnerabilities. You could have the most wonderful family, but be like, 'Oh, my God, my dad drives me nuts. He's got this one thing.' Everybody's got something, and I love to lean into those faults and flaws. It's what makes people real and what allows audiences to relate because we all know what that is. We all have our own. We witness it in other people," Fillion shared. But with Guy Gardner, Fillion noted that we're looking at someone who "is 90% flawed and doesn't care" – adding, "That's one of his flaws. I think there's a real freedom in playing that. So, for a guy who likes to play flaws and flawed people, Guy Gardner is a gold mine."
Superman: A Look Back at The Journey So Far…
"Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on SUPERMAN today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman's birthday," Gunn wrote as the caption to his post presenting the famous "S" on his Superman's costume, before confirming the change in the film's title. "When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN. Making our way to you July 2025."
Here's a look back at a screencap of Gunn's Threads post sharing a group shot of the cast (and with Nicholas Hoult definitely in Lex Luthor mode) from the table read:
"After the table read with the #Superman cast. Eve, Mr. Terrific, Superman/Clark, Otis, Lex, producer Peter Safran, Jimmy, Metamorpho, Lois, Hawkgirl, me, Guy, The Engineer all together for the first time! What a wonderful day." Gunn wrote as the caption to his Instagram post showing off the team:
The Announcement…
Here's a look back at Gunn's tweet from March 2023 making the announcement that he would be writing and directing Superman: Legacy, followed by the full, heartfelt text of the message he shared while confirming what's been rumbling around social media since the previous week:
"Yes, I'm directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025. My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, 'Dude, it's Dad's birthday.' I hadn't realized," Gunn wrote in the opening to his series of tweets announcing the news. "I lost my Dad almost three years ago. He was my best friend. He didn't understand me as a kid, but he supported my love of comics and my love of film, and I wouldn't be making this movie now without him. It has been a long road to this point. I was offered Superman years ago – I initially said no because I didn't have a way in that felt unique and fun and emotional that gave Superman the dignity he deserved. Then a bit less than a year ago, I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman's heritage – how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes."
DC Studios' Superman stars David Corenswet (Hollywood) as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane. In addition, the Superman: Legacy cast includes Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Nicholas Hoult (The Great) as Lex Luthor, Wendell Pierce (HBO's The Wire) as Perry White, Isabela Merced (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord, Pruitt Taylor Vince (Murder One, Lady in the Lake) as Jonathan Kent/"Pa Kent," and Neva Howell (Ghosts of the Ozarks) as Martha Kent/"Ma Kent." Composer John Murphy (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Kick-Ass, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3) has been tapped to score the film.