Superman First Look at New Fortress of Solitude and Krypto
It’s a bird, it’s a plane—it’s CinemaCon. Writer and director James Gunn took to the stage at the Warner Bros. panel to present explosive footage of his upcoming film, Superman.
From the explosive mind that brought us The Suicide Squad and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy comes a brand new film for a long-time big-screen hero. James Gunn’s Superman will open a new phase for the DC Universe.
In December last year, DC Universe shared the official trailer for Superman, giving audiences their first look at David Corenswet, who is dawning the mantle of famed caped crusader, Clark Kent. In a constantly struggling world, Clark fights for hope and humanity in the world he’s grown to love.
Joining Gunn onstage at the Warner Bros. session was Superman himself, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and the diabolical businessman Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). Theater owners packed into Caesars Palace to see the snippets and behind-the-scenes footage of Superman and to hear Gunn and the cast talk about their new tale of optimism.
#Superman at #Cinemacon2025
— Superman (@Superman) April 2, 2025
See it only in theaters July 11 pic.twitter.com/Xkjgdwqh7n
“This is a movie that celebrates kindness and human love,” Gunn told the audience. “I want people to have that magical feeling when they come out of the movie and they love the person they came with a little more than when they went in.”
It will be a refreshing departure from Henry Cavill’s Superman, spearheaded by director Zack Snyder, who had a hand in many of the DC Extended Universe films, including Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the live-action Justice League.
Many comic book fans could not find attributes that make up their beloved childhood hero in the Snyder films. Likewise, the DCEU has gradually come to a long, drawn-out, and painful end in past years.
He was too gritty; there was no hope, and too Batman-toned to be Superman. There was an overall misunderstanding of Clark Kent.
Luckily, Gunn seems to understand that Superman is and always will be a symbol of hope and goodness in the world, a beacon of life in dark times.
Likewise, Brosnahan believes in Superman’s importance to society and told the CinemaCon audience as much: “These stories are at their core about the power of hope… and the fight for good to conquer evil. That’s what’s always worth fighting for.”
Some of the footage presented at CinemaCon was what we got in the first trailer back in December: Superman falling to the earth, bloodied and bruised. He calls for Krypto, his superhero dog, to fly to his aid. Being the good boy he is, Krypto drags Superman through the snow.
But that’s not all. The CinemaCon audience was lucky enough to get an exclusive first look at the Fortress of Solitude, Superman’s headquarters, hidden away in the North Pole.
Superman? Or is this really a Santa Clause film?
Back at the fortress, a large array of robots tend to Superman’s wounds. The fortress is a mess, as Krypto, who Gunn modeled after his own reckless rescue dog Ozu, wrecked the place when he was left unsupervised. Clark tries to scold his boy, but Krypto doesn’t have an announcement of agreements for this.
The CinemaCon sneak peek also included shots of Brosnahan and Hoult’s characters. Lois Lane interviews Superman, and Lex Luthor brandishes a weapon likely loaded with Kryptonite.
Die-hard DC fans are excited for the “summer of Superman” and Gunn’s venturing into reinventing the rebooted DC Universe.
Like their film, the cast and crew of Superman dare to hope that their film will touch our hearts and make us believe in people again.
James Gunn’s Superman flies into theaters on July 11.
Writer | Tweet me @jamiem_torres
