Supermanflies into theaters in less than a month, and James Gunn’s new movie is expected to be a box office triumph. Starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel, the film is visually andtonally influenced by Christopher Reeve’s tenureas the character (beginning withSupermanin 1978 and ending withSuperman IV: The Quest for Peacein 1987). But, Gunn’sSupermanwill have more in common with Reeve’s beloved films than fans initially thought. As well as pulling from the vast library of DC Comics, includingAll-Star Superman, Gunn is also following the trend ofSupermanpulling from another major sci-fi franchise:Star Wars.
According to the outlet Universo DC Nauta (via @homeofdcu), the opening scene of James Gunn’sSupermanwill be heavily inspired by George Lucas’Star Wars. As the first movie in the new DCU,Supermanwill have a lot of contextual establishing to do, and James Gunn has chosen to give audiences the necessary background info using something similar to Star Wars' iconic text scroll. The report revealed thatSupermanopens with a text introduction that sets up the film and the wider DCU.
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This summer’s ‘Superman’ is bringing a lot of different influences to the table.
While some fans might be confused as to whySupermanis pulling fromStar Wars, given their major differences in genre, the DC Comics franchise has a long history of stealing from George Lucas’ seminal sci-fi series. Richard Donner’sSuperman: The Movie, released in 1978, was heavily influenced byStar Wars: A New Hope. Aside from the most obvious example: John Williams composing both films, there are many other instances ofSupermanpulling fromStar Wars' success. Several props fromA New Hopeappeared inSuperman, and Christopher Reeve even turned to Darth Vader himself, David Prowse, to bulk up to play the Man of Steel.
‘Superman’ Will Need a Lengthy Text Intro
TheStar Warsscroll has become somewhat of a controversial creative decision in modern filmmaking. While Lucas' franchise made it iconic, other movies that attempt the same thing are criticized for two main reasons. Firstly, it is seen as lazy writing. And secondly, fans quickly criticize it as an all-too obvious homage toStar Wars.
But, given thecinematic world thatSupermanwill birth,James Gunn’s movie will need something akin to a lengthy text intro.Supermandoesn’t just kickstart the DCU on the big screen; the film is set in a world where superheroes are already commonplace and Clark Kent has been Superman for three years. While fans are glad thatSupermanwon’t be yet another origin story, it comes as a double-edged sword, as the film will have a lot of history and backstory to cover for the countless comic book characters that will appear in the movie.
Some already popular characters, like Superman, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, are arguably popular enough that audiences don’t need to see their backstories yet again. But, for lesser-known characters like Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and María Gabriela de Faría’s The Engineer, only long-time DC Comics readers will have heard of them.
Source:@homeofdcu
