After 12 years of waiting, a new solo Superman movie is finally hitting theaters, after a long, bumpy road. There has been no shortage of DC drama to get Superman back on the big screen, but now he’s back, and this time, he’s led by director James Gunn. Superman will formally kickstart a brand new DC Universe franchise that will span across film, television, and even gaming, indicating an ambitious plan for the future of the brand. There are a ton of DC movies in development right now, and we know about a handful of them, but many are already wondering where Superman will pop up for his next adventure.
Given the high praise Superman has received, it’s no wonder that people are already really excited about a sequel. The film is not only a fun time, but David Corenswet is a really compelling Superman/Clark Kent. People want to see what his version of the character does next and what challenges he will face. Thankfully, it seems like Gunn is already working on such a thing.
James Gunn Is Already Working on the Next Superman Movie
Surprisingly, James Gunn hasn’t really been asked much about a potential Superman sequel. It seems like a lock so long as the movie makes a good chunk of change at the box office, and now it seems like it probably will. Superman is a hit with critics and it’s likely going to be a total crowd pleaser. The only real hurdle it has to overcome is ongoing competition with Jurassic World: Rebirth and the imminent release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Still, the chances of a sequel are high.
James Gunn was asked about a sequel by EW, and his answer was interesting. The director confirmed that he’s already working on the next movie, but isn’t labeling it is a typical sequel. “[…] Is it a straight-up Superman sequel,” said Gunn. “I would not say necessarily.”
This has led some to believe James Gunn’s next movie is World’s Finest, a storyline where Batman and Superman team up. Gunn has hinted that Batman and Superman may have already met in this universe, which would allow the filmmakers to throw the audience right into their shared story. Of course, this would somewhat replicate the order of operations for the previous DC regime; instead of doing a typical Man of Steel sequel or even any other DC movie, Zack Snyder went straight to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Gunn’s DC universe will, at the very least, see the release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow before his next film, and we could arguably also see the release of the new DCU Batman film, The Brave and the Bold, before we see Corenswet’s Superman back center stage again.
Nevertheless, his comments suggest that we aren’t getting Superman 2 right away. At the very least, it sounds like Superman will be at a critical part of this mystery project, even if it’s part of an ensemble or he’s paired up with another hero.
How Superman Sets Up a Sequel (Spoiler Alert!)
Superhero fans are used to each movie setting up the next one. However, Superman isn’t as direct about this. Its two post-credit scenes are not sequel or franchise bait; they are fun scenes that are extensions of the movie at hand. Still, there are places where this story could go. For starters, Lex Luthor is off to the famous supervillain prison, Belle Reve. Not only will he undoubtedly get out of prison at some point, but he will also likely make some new friends here to help him with future schemes.
At the end of Superman, the audience is formally introduced to Supergirl (House of the Dragon‘s Milly Alcock), who is getting her own film next year. She returns to pick up Krypto from the Fortress of Solitude, as Kara was off getting up to no good in outer space. It seems like it’s suggesting that her movie overlaps with Superman, and now she’s back on Earth, so perhaps we could see her teaming up with Superman in a future film.
There’s also the thread of Kal-El’s parents sending him to Earth with the intention of conquering the planet. Although Superman and Supergirl have good intentions, perhaps another Kryptonian, like General Zod, could materialize in a future film and carry out Jor-El’s commands. Although Superman feels self-contained and wraps everything up pretty nicely, there are a couple of threads Gunn could pull on in a future movie.
Where Will Superman Appear Next?
James Gunn has already stated in Interviews for Superman that it will be a couple of years before we see Superman again, but then quickly clarified we will see “the character” again before then. He seemed to be indicating this might not be in live-action or maybe not even with David Corenswet (please don’t be another Shazam-esque cameo), but his certainty definitely makes it sound like the next appearance of Superman is not far off. This could mean he pops up in some capacity in Peacemaker Season 2 or maybe even in the upcoming seasonal animated shorts for Krypto.
Of course, the most likely place for Superman to show up next in the DCU is Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which releases next summer. However, given what Gunn has said, maybe there’s nothing planned there. Supergirl has wrapped filming, but there’s a whole year for David Corenswet to do a cameo for a post-credits scene and I wouldn’t put it past Gunn to do that if people respond well to this movie.
Superman is now in theaters.
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