The first trailer for the hotly anticipated James Gunn-directed Superman has been released, teasing superhero dog Krypto and Lex Luthor in the film.
Starring Pearl and Twisters actor David Corenswet in the dual role of playing Clark Kent, and the Kryptonian’s alter-ego the Man of Steel opposite The Great and X Men film series star Nicholas Hoult as his nemesis Lex Luthor, the teaser was released on Thursday.
The trailer begins with a fallen Superman, bloodied and struggling to get up from the ice, until he whistles for his dog Krypto, who comes to his aide, as Corenswet says: “Take me home.”
It shows Hoult as the LuthorCorp chief executive brandishing a gun as well as several DC superheroes including Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), a Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) making big entrances.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel actress Rachel Brosnahan also appears in the prominent role as Lois Lane, with their romantic connection teased in the trailer as they stare at each other in the Daily Planet newspaper offices, and later embrace.
The two-minute, 35-second clip – which has limited dialogue – also shows a child calling for Superman in the desert, and the Man of Steel pelted by an angry mob.
Gunn, famed for Marvel film series Guardians Of The Galaxy and DC Comics movie The Suicide Squad, said working on most movies can be a “difficult process”, but “this one has been remarkably fluid”.
He added: “I think that this trailer was actually much more difficult than the movie, getting the trailer to the place where I felt like it accurately represented what the film was, (it) was difficult.”
Gunn also explained that he hopes the teaser is “optimistic”, and brings across the “essence of Superman”.
“I think taking on Superman, for me, has been paradoxical… because you’re wanting to do something totally new, and yet you’re wanting to do something that is traditional,” he added.
He also said that he believes the relationship between Lois and Clark on-screen in the new movie is “unlike anything we’ve ever seen” before in Superman portrayals.
Speaking about working with British actor Hoult and portraying the evil genius Luthor, Gunn said: “He’s (Luthor) intimidating. He’s a badass but.. he’s not without his reasons for what he’s doing, and I think Nick is just a fantastic actor to work with, and I loved working with him.”
He also explained that Superman is a bigger challenge compared to the Guardians Of The Galaxy films, where the characters are not as famous.
“Superman is one of the most popular characters, famous characters, in the world, and everyone has their idea of what he should be like, what his costume should look like, what his morals should be, what his power set is,” Gunn said.
He said making it “true and as authentic” was trial and error and involved working with costume designer Judianna Makovsky, and visual effects to give the feel of the Silver Age of comics, but in a more “grounded that we haven’t seen them before (and that) is what makes the movie unique”.
However, Gunn said that it is not “completely” going back to the Silver Age of comics, a period during the 1950s and 1970s when Superman solidified its place in reader’s imaginations and the first film with Christopher Reeve was release, as the plot is about looking at Superman as “an individual and what his personal obstacles”.
He also said that he hopes that “Superman does unify us a little bit” as the internet has become more “polarising”.
“I do think that things have become really polarising, (but) my life is not that,” he added.
“I’m not a person that believes in cutting someone out because their politics are different than life. and I think at the end of the day, most of us are trying to do our best, and most of us are making the best choices we can for ourselves and trying to do things compassionately.
“And I know that’s hard to believe in this time when everything is so black and white on the internet in terms of what’s good and what’s bad, and what choices are good and what choices are bad, what voting is good, what choices voting is bad.”
Superman will be released in the UK on July 11 2025 by Warner Bros Pictures.
