James Gunn Brings Humanity to Superman in First Full Trailer

DC Studios is about to step into the great beyond in their ambitious direction, and the first phase of it all is Superman. The rebooted version of the larger-than-life superhero, written and directed by James Gunn, is set to hit theatres this July. There has been a flurry of new Superman-related news and information for the last few months. It has finally happened. The first full trailer is here. As if we needed more of a reason to be excited, the footage presents a fresh take on a new Clark Kent, a snappy Lois Lane, a host of DC Universe super heroes and villains, and one universally lovable superdog.

Superman Doesn’t Come from Smallville Anymore

Superman is not an origin story in the traditional sense. Writer-director Gunn has been clear in interviews that this film would focus on Clark Kent’s internal struggle to hold his Kryptonian royal identity in balance with the strong sense of small-town Americana his Kansas roots have instilled in him. Thematically, the approach gives the reboot emotional center, turning this origin story into a quest for belonging.

Pearl and Hollywood alum David Corenswet is Clark Kent/Superman. At 25, this Superman is older and less of a wide-eyed, naive Kryptonian than we’ve seen in decades of prior retellings of the character’s origin story. He’s spent more time on Earth, and his double identity is of particular note in his scenes with Lois Lane.

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) plays Lois Lane. The trailer begins by placing Lois in a somewhat contrived interview setting with “Superman” (Clark Kent, of course). The body language and dialogue between the two characters in the early going of the trailer present a combination of flirtation and competition. The question as to whether Lois knows about Clark’s alter ego as Superman is kept maddeningly up in the air. The internet has weighed in decisively both ways on whether Lois knows or not. I am in the camp that she does not. Some of the casting, especially in the interview scene, and particularly the character’s facial reactions, suggests as much to this viewer. Maybe Gunn is toying with the idea of a Lois Lane who knows Clark’s secret from the get-go, and we’ll see how the dynamic between the two characters progresses in the film.

Yet another high-profile name is Nicholas Hoult, whose casting was announced early last year. The former Snowpiercer star plays Lex Luthor. He is represented in the trailer as the usual nefarious self-serious genius corporate titan we have come to expect. Hoult is not alone in the film. Sara Sampaio (Eve Teschmacher) and Terence Rosemore (Otis) also join the cast as Luthor’s sidekicks.

And Also: Krypto, Kaiju, and More DC Comics Characters

The least expected breakout star in the trailer may be Superman’s four-legged bestie, Krypto the white superdog. Introduced in the smaller-scale teaser trailer released in December 2022, the superdog has the honor of hauling a Superman he has found unconscious and critically injured out of the field in which he had crash-landed and into the Fortress of Solitude. The preview trailer shows this scene in the final cut, and it further amplifies the dog’s heroism. In the course of the trailer, he’s able to not just take on Lex Luthor bare-knuckle, but the all-powerful superhuman villainess Angela Spica (Maria Gabriela de Faria) and her assorted high-tech toys as well. In the story as presented in the trailer, The Engineer (Spica) has taken control of a giant red kaiju to launch a direct assault on the Fortress, one that Superman, the JSA, and a rocket-pack-equipped Robin (I just noticed that one, too) all have a hand in fighting off.

Speaking of spectacle. While the blockbuster trailer has its share of massive battles and kaiju fights, zippy superhero team-ups, and many flashy appearances by the title character himself, it also gives us a lot of our first glimpses at a smaller slate of deep-cut yet compelling DC Comics characters. Nathan Fillion is Guy Gardner, a bowl-cut-wearing Green Lantern; Anthony Carrigan is Rex Mason/Metamorpho, a government agent with the ability to shapeshift and control elements via his body; Isabela Merced is the similarly winged warrior Hawkgirl; and Edi Gathegi is Michael Holt/Mister Terrific, a science nerd turned masked hero, to name but a few.

The final big new addition to the character lineup is Milly Alcock as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl. Her inclusion gives a nod to a much larger Kryptonian family and potentially the universe in the story. Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell also join the cast as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent.

DC Comics fans will also spot a not-so-surprise-arrival on the big screen in the form of Frank Grillo reprising his role as Rick Flag Sr. from the DC animated series Creature Commandos, and fellow guard Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord.

Sense and Sensibility, or Where Clark Kent Goes

The trailer does not stint on the action, including an opening heroic landing on the White House roof that transitions directly into an intergalactic dust-up. There are several rapidly-paced action sequences in the trailer, large and small. But perhaps the most memorable moment comes not in an action scene at all. In the film, Lois Lane challenges Clark Kent/Superman’s decision to allow civilian rescue workers to board the plane where he’s found himself mid-flight on the sole grounds that it will make him look bad in the eyes of the United States Secretary of Defense. The emotional response from Kent (“People were going to die!”) reveals that Superman is willing to push back on authorities, at least when he perceives there is an ethical justification for him to do so. That issue and the battle between public perception and Clark’s values may well become a key throughline in the movie.

Equally interesting is the injection of humor and heart to balance the super-action heroics. Take the final shot, for instance. Superman, spent and alive, lies on his bed in what may be the only rest he’s had in a long while, contentedly with a full, satisfied Krypto on his chest. It’s a strangely poignant moment for a trailer, but one that bookends the 90-second preview very well. It points to the emotional connective tissue that Gunn aims to weave into the film as a means of centering an otherwise potentially cosmic-stakes movie.

With a stacked cast, modern vibe, and, from the trailer, an emotional throughline, Superman is not only a reboot, it’s a reset for the DC Films universe. And from this first trailer, it looks to be a reset worth coming back for.