Superman, which releases in theaters worldwide on July 11, is expected to be one of, if not THE, blockbuster movie of the summer. Writer and director James Gunn took inspiration from a wide variety of comics, TV shows, and movies for the DCU’s first official film. But one of the biggest influences on Superman will definitely surprise you. Obviously, Gunn pulled from the extensive catalog of DC Comics, and even from past Superman movies, like Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. But the director was also inspired by some creature features, including Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One. But Gunn didn’t look at the 2023 hit because of its kaiju. It was the human characters that James Gunn was interested in.
As part of the growing press tour for Superman, as DC Studios prepares for the film’s release next month, James Gunn spoke to Japanese media outlet Cinema Today to promote the movie. During the conversation, Gunn explained the influence Japanese cinema had on Superman, most notably, Takashi Yamazaki’s 2023 hit, Godzilla Minus One. “I tried to fuse elements like giant monsters, robots, flying dogs, other superheroes…” Gunn said, also explaining how the Ultraman movies heavily influenced his career, not just Superman.
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The director then turned his attention to Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One. Released in 2023, the film is widely regarded to be one of the best kaiju movies ever made, alongside Shin Godzilla. “My goal is to make a film that depicts Godzilla like Godzilla Minus One, but also has a great human drama,” he explained. Most critics agreed that Minus One didn’t feel like a Western Godzilla film. The movie put its human characters at the forefront, while connecting their individual stories to the gigantic irradiated lizard who just happens to be ravaging Japan. Gunn continued:
“Superman and Krypto also appear in this film, but at its core is a human story. The relationship between Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor is at the core of the work.”
‘Superman’ Can Usher In a New Age of DC Movies
The MCU has held a strong monopoly over the superhero genre on the big screen for close to a decade. At that time, the DCEU, which began with Man of Steel, was desperately trying to play catch-up, greenlighting countless movies (most of which never made it to production) and rushing to get DC’s answer to The Avengers, The Justice League, together for their first big-screen team-up.
The DCEU was in desperate need of a shake-up and James Gunn and Peter Safran stepped in as co-presidents of DC Studios in 2023 to make it so. Superman will be the franchise’s first official release, and it will set the benchmark for the franchise moving forward. Fans are hoping that Superman is a success, which the first test screenings seem to suggest, so that the rebooted DCU has a long shelf life. But, fans are equally hoping that DC Studios will learn from Warner Bros.’ past mistakes with the DCEU.
Source: Cinema Today
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
