When James Gunn was tapped to lead DC Studios’ “soft reboot” of the DC Extended Universe — now called the DC Universe or DCU — fans of the studio’s wealth of comic book character properties like Superman and Batman were ecstatic. Since its inception beginning with 2013’s “Man of Steel,” the live-action films in the DCU were largely derided as being unfocused and dull, lacking the narrative thrust of their competitors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn’s arrival was intended to be DC Studios’ turning point, one that would showcase its potential with 2025’s “Superman,” resetting the Henry Cavill-starring “Man of Steel” sub-franchise for a new era.
After a bout of teasing this week, DC Studios dropped the first teaser trailer for “Superman,” which stars David Corenswet as the titular superhero and is directed and written by Gunn. Though the clip is billed as a teaser, it maintains the length of a full trailer, stretching past the two-minute mark to give fans and Superman newcomers a crash course in both the hero’s origin and his current antics while dropping in plenty of Easter eggs for diehard DC devotees.
The teaser opens with a shot of Corenswet’s Superman making a rough landing, somewhere in the Arctic that isn’t his presumably nearby Fortress of Solitude. Wheezing and gasping for air after some untold battle of great strength, he uses his remaining might to whistle for his dog, Krypto (sporting an equally handsome red cape of his own), to drag him back to safety. Interspersed with this sequence are brief shots of Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent heading to work as a reporter at The Daily Planet, the new Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and Clark on the Kent farm where he’s raised after crash-landing on Earth. Title cards follow, reading, “This summer, it begins.”
While that’s all familiar territory for most who have a vague idea of the bits and bobs that make up Superman, less so are the quick glimpses of action that follow. There are shots of Superman’s arch nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) looking like a menacing James Bond inside the private walls of his business, Luthercorp; a giant ball of light in the skies of Metropolis, where Clark Kent resides, presumed to be Solaris the Last Sun of Krypton — or, basically just an evil sun; the crystal shards of the Fortress of Solitude; and even a giant, kaiju-like, fire-breathing monster for Superman to fight.
Fans aching for the return of the colorful atmosphere of the Superman comics will be pleased that Gunn’s version seems filled with color and Superman’s signature blues. The trailer is even well-lit enough to recognize some equally heroic in-universe cameos from Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), a member of the green Lantern Corps.
There are still a good seven months to go before “Superman” hits theaters this July. But considering that this clip is only a teaser, loaded with enough Easter eggs that will keep fans busy until the next look at Gunn’s film drops, it looks as though that soft reboot of the DCU is off to a promising start.
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