Superman is a field workplace and demanding hit, with the way forward for the DCU trying brilliant. All eyes are already set on asserting initiatives like Peacemaker Season 2, Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface, all of that are slated for launch throughout the subsequent 12 months or so. But followers can’t wait to see the likes of David Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane return in a future movie, specifically Superman 2. The standing of a sequel is unsure, as James Gunn not too long ago teased that his subsequent DCU movie has not been introduced because of different studios simply having the ability to copy it, whereas additionally being coy a few sequel.
This means that Superman’s subsequent look within the DCU won’t be a standard sequel. As a substitute, it could be a crossover movie, as Superman has already established a supporting solid of different DC heroes. Given Superman‘s wealthy thematic content material, a simple sequel that includes Brainiac or Mr. Mxyzptlk could appear a bit much less partaking (although we might nonetheless wish to see it). We aren’t right here to inform James Gunn the best way to do his job. With Superman, he has but to overlook with a DC venture, so no matter he has deliberate, he is aware of what he’s doing.
We consider the subsequent Superman film could be mixed with a beforehand introduced DCU venture that has struggled to realize momentum, The Authority. The Superman follow-up could possibly be Superman vs. The Authority, a movie that builds on Superman’s themes, differentiates The Authority from The Boys, and units the stage for the Justice League’s arrival within the DCU.
Superman
- Launch Date
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July 9, 2025
- Runtime
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130 minutes
- Director
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James Gunn
- Producers
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Lars P. Winther, Nik Korda, Peter Safran
The Struggles To Get ‘The Authority’ Movie off the Floor
The Authority was one of many first slate of initiatives introduced by James Gunn in January 2023 as a part of the DCU. Based mostly on the Wildstorm comedian of the identical identify, the comedian focuses on a staff of superheroes that take drastic measures to make sure the Earth stays protected, usually blurring the road between hero and villain. With the inclusion of one of many staff’s members, The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), in Superman, many followers assumed The Authority could be the subsequent movie following Superman. But, in February 2025, James Gunn acknowledged that the script had a tough time coming collectively. Now, Supergirl is the subsequent DCU movie, whereas Clayface, a film not a part of the preliminary announcement slate, will observe afterward.
Gunn has made it clear that no DCU film will transfer ahead with out a completed script that he’s happy with, therefore why the Sgt. Rock film was delayed as a substitute of pushing ahead to fulfill a launch date. What issues The Authority is dealing with are unclear. Nevertheless, the most important could be that the idea of edgier superheroes has grow to be performed out in tales like The Boys and Invincible. Whereas The Authority may predate them within the comics, it now has the John Carter impact, because the tales it influenced had been tailored for the massive display screen first, and now the unique will look like a replica.
The Authority is an fascinating idea and should not be tossed out. As a substitute, the movie needs to be reworked right into a battle between Superman and The Authority. Superman has already confronted off in opposition to The Engineer, and a follow-up movie may see her recruit different metahumans to type a brand new superhuman staff, ones with intentions of being “higher” heroes than Superman, who do not anticipate bother however take measures to stop hazard in any respect prices.
Superman’s Historical past With The Authority
The thought of pitting Superman in opposition to The Authority is nothing new. When James Gunn first introduced his plans for the DCU, we speculated that it was constructing to a showdown between Superman and The Authority. This might nonetheless be the plan, however now, as a substitute of two separate movies resulting in a conflict, it’s one Superman movie adopted by a second movie that serves as each an Authority film and a Superman sequel. Superman and The Authority have been linked for fairly a while, as the 2 ideas characterize totally different approaches to superhero heroics.
One of the crucial well-known Superman tales is a comic book titled “What’s So Humorous About Fact, Justice, and the American Approach,” the place Superman fights a staff of heroes referred to as The Elite. The Elite function a stand-in for The Authority, as they’re one other staff of cooler, edgier heroes who kill their victims, and it turns into a philosophical battle between them and an old school hero like Superman. The comics’ author, Mark Waid, additionally beforehand wrote Kingdom Come, one other collection during which Superman comes out of retirement to indicate a gaggle of youthful, extra violent heroes the old school approach of heroics.
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Then, when the Wildstorm characters had been folded into the DC Comics Universe, Grant Morrison wrote Superman and the Authority. The comedian merges each the normal members of The Authority with some members of their authentic stand-in, The Elite, solidifying the connection between the 2 groups. Nevertheless, Superman and the Authority act as a rebuttal to Kingdom Come, as its model of an older, wiser Superman decides to mentor and information a brand new model of The Authority, who could be cosmic liberators that might free the universe from threats like Darkseid, Mongul, and Brainiac.
Gunn has already pulled closely from the work of Mark Waid and Grant Morrison. Waid’s Kingdom Come Home of El crest is used for David Corenswet’s Superman, whereas Gunn always cited Morrison’s All-Star Superman as a major affect on his DCU movie. A Superman sequel that mixes parts and themes from Superman and The Authority, “What’s So Humorous About Fact, Justice, and The American Approach,” and Kingdom Come feels like the proper sequel set-up that builds off the themes established within the first movie of Superman being an old school hero in a contemporary world crammed with cynics.
The Authority Can Construct on the Themes Launched in ‘Superman’
Each Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and “What’s So Humorous About Fact, Justice, and the American Approach” are meta-commentaries on the state of superhero tales within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. This period favored gritty anti-heroes over the old school heroics of Superman. Each tales argue for the normal superhero mannequin and why a personality like Superman nonetheless issues in a world that seemingly thinks he’s too old school. This appears like an applicable place to observe up on James Gunn’s Superman, which is ushering in a brand new period of superhero motion pictures. Ones which can be shifting away from the gritty realism of the 2000s, as outlined by The Darkish Knight trilogy or the self-aware irony of the MCU within the 2010s, in favor of one thing extra earnest.
The film already hinted that Superman took difficulty with heroes just like the Justice Gang killing the Kaiju as a substitute of looking for a much less deadly path, whereas in addition they targeted extra on stopping the creature with much less concern for collateral injury, which Superman took nice care to keep away from. Superman is already offered as a little bit of an outsider amongst fellow heroes, and later conjures up them to take a extra lively step in doing higher. But, this additionally seemingly teases the nations of the world’s unease about metahumans taking management, with Rick Flag Sr. seemingly worrying a few future the place they’re those calling the pictures, and units up different metahumans, like The Authority, going a step too far.
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The Authority, as a staff, naturally builds on this, as forcing their will on the world would make Superman query his actions. Superman views his actions as inherently good, so the sequel’s subsequent logical step is to discover what occurs when others undertake the identical mindset. Whether it is appropriate for Superman, why is it not good for everybody else? If it is not good for others, is it additionally acceptable for Superman? What makes Superman’s motion totally different from a staff like The Authority, if each are, ultimately, trying to do good? The reply is that The Authority is utilizing extra brutal and authoritarian strategies. Nonetheless, it could push Superman to see that even within the quest to do good, some could be pushed to extremes. These are thematically wealthy questions {that a} hypothetical sequel may pose, constructing on what’s established in Superman.
Following Grant Morrison’s tackle The Authority, the Authority/Superman crossover may conclude with Superman not overpowering the staff, however somewhat inspiring them to vary and shift their focus from being authoritarian on Earth to taking their battle to the celebs as cosmic liberators. This could be a intelligent inversion of the Engineer’s concern of an alien like Superman on her planet and finally turning into an alien herself to different planets. The Authority could possibly be positioned because the DCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy (becoming since that was the MCU staff that James Gunn established) and construct off cosmic storylines arrange in tales like Lanterns and Supergirl. This might additionally function a recurring automobile for Jason Momoa’s Lobo and set the stage for the long-awaited introduction of the villain Brainiac or the DCU’s tackle the New Gods, which can be featured within the Mister Miracle animated collection.
It additionally units the stage for The Justice League, a staff whose arrival appears teased by the introduction of the Justice Gang. Because the Justice Gang is a corporate-backed superhero staff funded by notorious Justice League villain Maxwell Lord, it is unlikely they’re going to evolve into the Justice League. Nevertheless, Superman being pressured to face off in opposition to a staff like The Authority may encourage him to acknowledge the necessity for a superhero staff, one which seeks to guard the world somewhat than impose its personal will on it. The Justice League’s formation could possibly be a response to The Authority, making for the proper setup for a follow-up film.
How Is This Totally different From the DCEU’s Massive Superman Mistake?
Following a Superman film with a team-up movie main right into a Justice League film definitely sounds loads like the issue that confronted the earlier experiment of a DC shared Universe, the failed DCEU. As a substitute of following Man of Metal with a sequel, they opted for Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice, which additionally served as an enormous trailer for Justice League. Is not that the identical factor {that a} Superman and the Authority film could be, skipping over a sequel to Superman in favor of a crossover movie? Is that this not simply twentieth Century Fox adapting The Darkish Phoenix Saga once more after X-Males: The Final Stand with Darkish Phoenix and anticipating it to be totally different?
The primary huge distinction is that Batman v. Superman was the second movie within the DCEU, after a three-year hole from Man of Metal. A hypothetical Superman sequel could be the sixth or seventh entry within the franchise on the earliest. In the meantime, Batman and Marvel Lady will hopefully be launched in their very own solo DCU initiatives earlier than the Justice League movie varieties. The opposite is {that a} Superman and Authority crossover movie appears like a pure continuation of Superman, because it builds on established themes and a facet villain from the primary film. Batman v. Superman: Daybreak of Justice was created as a advertising push to get well from the disappointing fan response to Man of Metal and speed up the event of a cinematic universe to rival the MCU.
Like several nice superhero film, Superman leaves the viewers wanting extra. The sequel cannot come quickly sufficient. DC has had horrible luck with sequels corresponding to Marvel Lady 1984, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and Aquaman and the Misplaced Kingdom. The hope is that no matter type the Superman sequel takes, it will likely be extra like The Darkish Knight and The Suicide Squad. Additionally, please do not let it take so long as The Batman – Half II. Superman is in theaters now.