Is James Gunn keeping Superman for the kids? The director teases how he’ll be handling the tone of the DC Universe reboot.

Ever since it was announced that James Gunn would be helming the reboot of a new DC Universe with Superman, fans have been worried about the world’s tone. Gunn is infamous for irreverent and comedic takes on lesser-known IP, leaving many to wonder if that attitude would carry over to every project in the upcoming reboot due to his preferences.

However, it seems that James Gunn’s humor isn’t putting its thumb on the scale of the DC Universe. In a recent interview, the director explained that the reboot won’t have an established tone, and that every project following Superman will feel different in its own way along with exploring different types of storytelling.

“Everything’s going to be totally different,” Gunn explained during a recent chat with MovieZine. “One of the things I love about DC Comics is that they’ve always been able to tell different stories in different ways.”

“They’ve told stories that were more family-orientated, stories that were more adult-orientated, dark stories, light stories. I think for us, we just want to tell a bunch of different stories. A lot of those different stories are going to be in the DCU.”

Will Superman Be A Comedic Film?

While it makes sense that movies in the DC Universe will have a different tone depending on the director, that comment may leave some fans worried that James Gunn may be up to his old tricks with Superman. But continuing on in the interview, Gunn assured fans that the upcoming reboot has a completely different feel to something like Peacemaker, keeping things family-friendly while still having a serious bent to it.

“We have something that’s relatively serious like Superman and then something that’s relatively comedic like Peacemaker all in the same universe. Something very adult like Peacemaker [and] something pretty family-friendly like Superman.”

“I think that to be able to tell different kinds of stories is kind of what makes things fun. One of the things I’ve gotten a little sick of is all these stories being relatively the same. I’m trying to step outside of that. We at DC are trying to step outside of that.”

After literal decades of the DC Universe trying to differentiate itself from Marvel by being the ‘edgy’ comic book company, it’s a relief that James Gunn is taking steps to make sure characters like Superman stick to their roots in this reboot. It’s certain that this won’t be a universe where every project appeals to everyone, but that may be their biggest strength heading into this new era of filmmaking and franchises.

Superman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!