James Gunn says new ‘Superman’ film is about immigrants and “basic human kindness”
DC studio head James Gunn has said the premise of the new Superman film is rooted in the stories of immigrants and centred on the principle of “basic human kindness”.
The director was discussing the message of the movie, which stars David Corenswet as the titular superhero, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luther, when he revealed that the plot has been designed to hold a mirror to the current situation in the United States.
He said in a recent interview with the Sunday Times: “I mean, Superman is the story of America. An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost.”
Gunn added: “It’s about human kindness and obviously there will be jerks out there who are just not kind and will take it as offensive just because it is about kindness. But screw them.”
Noting that “I’m telling a story about a guy who is uniquely good, and that feels needed now because there is a meanness that has emerged due to cultural figures being mean online,” Gunn said that the superhero blockbuster was not intended to make huge societal change, but “if a few people could be just a bit nicer after this it would make me happy.”
The director has made his thoughts on the current state of the movie industry clear ahead of the film’s release, claiming in a previous interview that it is “dying” due to the poor quality of scripts being produced.
Superman will be released in cinemas on July 11th.
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