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Superman: Legacy Story Decisions Aren't Based on Public Domain: Gunn

James Gunn clarified that Superman: Legacy story decisions (for example, The Authority appearing) aren't related to public domain concerns.

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Over the past year, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has been doing a great job of not just rolling out news & updates regarding Superman: Legacy but also cutting through a lot of the bullshit (pardon our gruff professionalism) out there so that can keep their scorecards updated on what's fact, what's fiction, and what's just total nonsense. So what does that have to do with the ripple effects from "Steamboat Willie" Mickey Mouse entering the public domain (and quickly previewed to be appearing in two horror movies and a horror-themed video game)? Once the new year hit and that version of Mickey went public, a lot of folks started looking ahead to see what other popular characters would be following in Mickey's pretty large footsteps. In a report from Variety from earlier this week, it was noted that Superman and Lois Lane will enter the public domain in 2034 (with Batman in 2035, the Joker in 2036, and Wonder Woman in 2037). Just to be clear? That means only the earliest versions of those characters enter the public domain at that point – so no kryptonite or long-distance flying for The Man of Steel (which also can't be used).

superman
Image: DC Studios Screencap

But there was one section in the report that caught one fan's eye – something that they would ask Gunn about earlier today. "DC has been preparing for this for years. At a press event in 2023, CEO James Gunn noted that the next Superman film will introduce characters from 'The Authority,' a comic series that launched in 1999, in part because the Superman copyright is about to expire," read the section in question – implying that at least part of the decision-making surrounding having The Authority appear was based on long-term thinking when it comes to rights issues & the public domain. Well, that's not the case – with Gunn making it clear that "no story decisions were based on characters becoming public domain."

superman: legacy
Image: Threads Screencap

Set for a July 11, 2025, premiere, DC Studios' Superman: Legacy stars (so far) David Corenswet (Hollywood) as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Lois Lane. In addition, the Superman: Legacy cast includes Nicholas Hoult (The Great) as Lex Luthor,  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, and Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho. Created by Warren Ellis & Bryan Hitch in 1999 and first published by DC Comics under the Wildstorm imprint, Gunn referred to The Authority adaptation as a "passion project" of his during the initial DC Studio rollout video. Described as a team that sees things as broken and is willing to do whatever's necessary to make things right, the original team consisted of Jenny Sparks, Jack Hawksmoor, Swift, Apollo, Midnighter, The Engineer, and The Doctor.

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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