
James Gunn reveals Superman secrets, teases Supergirl and DCU future
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Gunn emphasized that Superman is rooted in kindness, compassion, and identity — rather than traditional notions of destiny and hope.
'I wanted a Superman who could be beaten,' Gunn explained, highlighting Kal-El's vulnerability as a strength. The now-viral 'punk rock' line was present in the early drafts and ties to Iggy Pop's 'Punkrocker,' which Gunn discovered via Spotify and used in the ending montage.
Gunn confirmed that the Justice Gang's imp villain is not Mr. Mxyzptlk and discussed the fictional band 'Mighty Crabjoys,' which inspired the end-credits song he co-wrote. A cameo poster in Clark Kent's room reflects Lois' understanding of Clark's warmth, a moment Gunn called pivotal.
Supergirl, portrayed as a 'rougher' character, will be the focus of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2026), written by Ana Nogueira. Gunn confirmed that Krypto the Superdog — now Supergirl's companion — will return, but reassured fans that tonal shifts will occur.
Peacemaker Season 2 will explore dimensional conflict, not a direct reset of the DCEU. Meanwhile, Easter eggs in the Hall of Justice hint at long-term plans, though not all characters will appear soon. Gunn dismissed fan hopes of a retcon regarding Jor-El and Lara, saying their portrayal reflects the film's emotional arc.
Gunn also hinted at fast-tracking Wonder Woman and acknowledged strong domestic performance, citing global anti-American sentiment as a hurdle abroad. Still, he remains optimistic: 'This is just the seed of the tree we've been watering.'
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Express Tribune
5 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Hollywood vs censorville
A rude emoji was replaced with a politer one in F1: The Movie. Photo: File Film fans in India were outraged to learn that a 33-second kiss scene in Superman was shortened to just a few seconds by their country's censors. Despite the film's 13+ rating, India's Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) felt compelled to sanitise the embrace they described as "overly sensual." When it was created through the Cinematograph Act of 1952, the CBFC's official mandate was to certify films according to age categories, but it has since become notorious for its role as a censor. Recent examples of alterations in major Hollywood productions include replacing a middle-finger emoji appearing in F1: The Movie with a fist emoji. Swear words were muted in Marvel's Thunderbolts and Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. In Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer (2023), the Indian board had Florence Pugh's nudity covered up with a digitally inserted CGI dress. "If a scene is meant for mature audiences, it should simply be placed in the appropriate category," argued writer Disha Bijolia in Indian online magazine Homegrown. "Instead, the CBFC repeatedly interferes with a filmmaker's vision — cutting into plots, disrupting emotional arcs, and flattening the intent behind entire narratives." Satisfying demand Along with the widespread censorship method of simply banning films, releasing alternate versions of movies is also well established in many countries beyond India. Authoritarian states know that even if a film is banned, it can still circulate illegally, which motivates them to distribute their own "more appropriate" versions of the works. Way before AI-created imagery became widely available, Iran had already equipped the country's censors with new digital technology by 2010, allowing them to tweak dialogues and images that didn't conform to Islamic modesty. The approach is detailed in an 2012 article in The Atlantic, which also shows stills comparing how the original scenes were retouched in the Iranian versions: Women simply disappear from the frame, or their neckline is covered up with a clunky vase. Even Will Ferrell's crotch is hidden behind a wall in the motorsports comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). Drugs not okay Even though many major Hollywood studios no longer distribute their films in Russia since it launched its full-scale war on Ukraine in 2022, there are still some Western films appearing in the country's cinemas or on streaming platforms. One recent example of a film that circulated in an altered version was the award-winning US film Anora (2024). Censors simply zoomed into various scenes to crop out the depictions of characters using drugs, as shown by independent Russian-language news site Meduza. Meanwhile, the film's nude scenes featuring the stripper played by Mikey Madison were left untouched. A film like Anora would never air on Turkish television. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's conservative AKP government, around 95 per cent of the media landscape has been brought into line with their conservative guidelines. Broadcasters mainly avoid sex scenes and portrayals of LGBTQ+ characters. Historical topics seen as promoting "anti-Turkish rhetoric" can be particularly contentious. Cigarettes and alcohol are also blurred on TV, with some stations coming up with creative solutions to cover up the items. Meanwhile, some Hollywood studios have released their own self-censored versions to circumvent bans and blurs. Sony Pictures supplied an alternate version of Blade Runner 2049 to Turkey and other non-Western markets, removing or cropping scenes showing nudity, as film critic Burak Göral first noted. Turkey's Film Critics Association (S?YAD) issued an open letter condemning the censorship, noting that the cuts were "an insult to moviegoers in Turkey." Accessing China China is renowned for banning and shortening films, too. Official censorship guidelines prohibit, among other things, the "promotion of cults or superstition." The 2016 Ghostbusters reboot thus failed to be released in the country despite being retitled Super Power Dare Die Team. Surprisingly, Disney's Coco, which centers on the Mexican Day of the Dead, was authorised a year later. Major productions that have been altered by China's censors include the 2012 James Bond film, Skyfall. A scene in which a Chinese security guard is killed was completely cut out because it suggested that China is unable to protect its own territory from foreign agents. In other "controversial" scenes, the subtitles differed from what was actually been said on screen. In the famous portrait scene in James Cameron's Titanic 3D (2012), Kate Winslet was cropped up to her chin to hide her nudity. "Considering the vivid 3D effects, we fear that viewers may reach out their hands for a touch and thus interrupt other people's viewing," a Chinese official explained. In 2022, social media users widely mocked the censors' alternate ending for Minions: The Rise of Gru. In the original version, villains Gru and Wild Knuckles evade capture by authorities after the latter fakes his own death. But through a series of subtitled stills that were widely compared to a PowerPoint presentation for their poor quality, the Chinese version had Wild Knuckles arrested and imprisoned for 20 years; he starts a theater troupe in jail. Gru is portrayed as simply "returning to his family," with being a father becoming his "biggest accomplishment." Hollywood studios have also been releasing their own alternate versions of movies in China to avoid state censorship — and the PowerPoint slides. The country began allowing a limited number of Hollywood films per year into the country in 1994, and as major studios increasingly competed to gain access to the restricted and lucrative slots, they also started tailoring their stories to please a Chinese market of some 1.4 billion people. A 2020 report by nonprofit organisation PEN denounces the growing trend of producers willingly altering their films for Beijing's censors: Hollywood filmmakers "are making difficult and troubling compromises on free expression," it stated. Iron Man 3 (2013) is a prominent case highlighting this approach. While altered films typically lose runtime, four minutes of extra content were added to the Marvel blockbuster, with exclusive scenes featuring Chinese star Fan Bingbing and actor Wang Xueqi, as well as scenes promoting a local milk brand. In the Chinese version, the beverage helps Iron Man/Tony Stark recover from an injury.


Express Tribune
a day ago
- Express Tribune
Fantastic Four First Steps earns biggest MCU preview box office of 2025 with $23 million
Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps is off to a stellar start, generating approximately $23 million from Thursday previews that began at 2PM, according to Deadline's Anthony D'Alessandro. Directed by Matt Shakman, the film is already surpassing expectations, with industry projections placing its domestic opening between $100 million and $110 million. Although Disney has not officially confirmed the figures, sources indicate this is the strongest preview performance for an MCU title in 2025 so far. The film's Thursday preview earnings nearly double those of Thunderbolts ($11.5M) and significantly outperform Captain America: Brave New World ($12M). In addition to its financial momentum, First Steps is earning strong critical and audience reception, with an 88% critics score and 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its performance closely mirrors that of James Gunn's Superman, which debuted two weeks ago with $22.5 million in Thursday previews—though that total included $2.8 million from Amazon Prime advance screenings. Superman went on to earn $56.1 million on opening Friday and $125 million for the weekend, with an 84% critics score and a 92% audience rating. On the promotional front, First Steps is breaking new ground. Social media analytics firm RelishMix reports the film is the first of 2025 to surpass one billion in combined reach across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube—overtaking Jurassic World Rebirth (921M) and Superman (953M). Cast members including Pedro Pascal (11.4M followers), Joseph Quinn (5.6M), and Vanessa Kirby (2.6M) are credited with driving much of the online traction. Fan reactions online have been overwhelmingly positive. Many are praising the film's 1960s retro-futurist setting and its standalone nature, which allows viewers to enjoy it without prior MCU knowledge. The introduction of Galactus as the central villain is also generating excitement. As one fan commented, 'Galactus is coming—this movie is about to be fantastic!'


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
I was missing the squirrel: James Gunn on ‘Superman' moment he fought for
There is a key moment in James Gunn's Superman where the superhero saves a small squirrel while it is being attacked by a rampaging Kaiju monster in Metropolis - a moment that the first screening test audience hated. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn revealed that he fought to put the scene back on because according to him, it showed the empathetic and kind side of the Man of Steel. 'It was probably the second or third most hotly debated moment in the movie.' Gunn said. 'We showed it to test audiences and some people did not like the squirrel. They asked, 'Why is he saving a squirrel? Why is he taking time out, saving a squirrel?'' Gunn shared, 'There was a cut where I cut it out and I'm like, 'I really miss the squirrel. He's got to save the squirrel.' In addition, there were also some geographic problems with where he ended up if I didn't have him fly over with the squirrel. So I put the squirrel back in despite the protests of some people on my crew.' Previously in an interview with the New York Times, Gunn had said, 'A lot of people were anti-squirrel. They thought it was too much. And I think it really comes down to, do you like squirrels or not?' Test screen audiences have also regularly complained that the pacing in Gunn's films is 'too fast'. 'When you test movies, especially in the early test screenings, one of the main questions they ask is, 'Is it too slow? Is it too fast? Is it just right?' And my movies have always had an overabundance of 'too fast' compared to 'too slow',' revealed the director. Defending his choices, Gunn explained, 'I'm not indulgent. I just don't care about my little precious moments that are so important to me in making a movie. I want to create something that's as streamlined as possible, and if that means I go too fast, sometimes I do. And so it really is about pulling back.' Test screenings have become a regular process for studio films. However, they do not always reflect public taste. For example, Marvel director Kevin Feige once hyped up Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania by commenting, 'Jonathan Majors, playing the villain Kang, was the highest-testing villain we've ever had in any of our 'friends and families' [screenings].'' Despite this, the theatre audience remained unimpressed. The film flopped at the box office with $476 million worldwide and became one of Marvel's lowest grossers. Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.