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Superman Not DCU Set-Up Film; Mister Terrific "Big Part of The Plot"

Writer/director James Gunn on why Superman isn't there just to set up the DCU, Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific playing a major role, and more.

At the time of this writing, we are 36 hours away from the release of the official teaser trailer for DC Studios co-CEO and writer/director James Gunn's David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult-starring Superman. To say that there are a lot of folks counting down the hours would be a righteous understatement – look no further than how quickly folks started dissecting the motion poster and promo for the teaser trailer release. Leading up to our look at what's next for the New DCU, we've been getting more insights into the decisions Gunn made from the press event that was held over the summer. For this go-around, Gunn discusses the importance of having every film and series be able to stand on its own storyline-wise and what we need to know about the other familiar faces that we will be seeing (including who the standout will be).

Though the feature film will feature a number of familiar DCU faces beyond Clark, Lois, and Lex, Gunn makes it clear that Superman abides by the philosophy he and Gunn have for DC Studios—it's about the story first and foremost. "It's really about this. Now, are seeds being planted? Yes, there's seeds being planted, but that is never going to be the predominant thing in any scene for me. It's always about getting to the next scene. What's in the moment? How are we making this movie the best we can be? And it's going to stay like that as much as I can possibly make it like that," Gunn shared. In terms of how that applies specifically to The Man of Steel's upcoming cinematic adventure, Gunn doesn't mince words.

"Zero. Zero," Gunn shared when asked how much of Superman is spent setting up the rest of the New DCU. "I mean, maybe two little things, two moments, but basically, if something's there just to set up something else, fuck it. I even say that. And for all I know, those things can be cut by the time we get to the editing room because something has to exist for this movie. And if that works in tandem with setting up characters that exist in other media, then that's great. If this sets up stuff in 'Peacemaker,' which it does, then that's great," the writer/director added. "But that is never, ever, ever, with me, going to be something that's, I'm going to sacrifice even a moment or a beat in a story for, especially a movie. With TV, you've got a little bit more leniency to be able to do that. But in a movie, every beat has to be in there for the movie itself."

In terms of the other DCU characters we will be getting a chance to meet – like Isabela Merced's Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific, and Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern Guy Gardner – Gunn shared what went into decided which characters would work best for the overall narrative – and giving a special shout-out to Gathegi's Mister Terrific. "I think it was just who I wanted to really, honestly. I love Mr. Terrific. These characters all get their moment in the sun. They all have their moments. They're not just cameos; these are the characters. They're supporting cast, but Mr. Terrific is the main character of those characters. He actually has a big part of the plot. And so that was fun. And, of course, getting to work with Nathan [Fillion] is always something, and putting him in a stupid look and then Isabela [Merced] is great. I've been a fan of hers for a long time. But it was about balance," Gunn explained.

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."

Joining them are Beck Bennett (Saturday Night Live) as Daily Planet sports editor Steve Lombard, Mikaela Hoover (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad) as Daily Planet gossip columnist Cat Grant, and Christopher McDonald as skilled Daily Planet reporter Ron Troupe – with Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr. (from Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2) set to appear, along with Alan Tudyk in an undisclosed role. Composer John Murphy (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Kick-Ass, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3) will score the film.

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