This new Superman is super human
From an early morning meetup with cosplayers to lumpia- and halo-halo-making sessions, the first day of the “Superman” world tour’s Manila stop was—and really, how else could we put it—“super packed.”
Still, the cast and creatives of the upcoming film looked none the worse for wear when they stepped onto the red carpet at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall last June 19, where an eager crowd had gathered. With the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra playing the iconic John Williams movie theme, David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), director James Gunn, and producer Peter Safran made their way through the frenzy, happily posing for photos and signing memorabilia—posters, toys, and comic books—for fans clamoring along the stanchions.
The contagious atmosphere fired up an already hyped Gunn as he emerged onstage, bellowing like a ringside announcer: “Hello, Manila! I love you all!” And when Corenswet, dapper in a beige suit, and Brosnahan, ravishing in a red dress, finally made their entrance together, the fans—from the venue’s grounds to the mall’s upper-floor balconies—broke into spirited chants of “Superman!”
Gunn didn’t expect this kind of turnout. But why oh why didn’t he, the filmmaker wondered, when Filipinos have been some of their most vocal fans online? “You’re the best!” he said. “You’re a beautiful country.”
Corenswet was just as stunned by the rousing reception. “It’s been amazing, it’s beautiful,” he said. “It’s been a whirlwind.”
One good thing about Manila being the kickoff city on this promo blitz, Gunn quipped, is that Filipinos got to see the stars looking “fresh and wide awake.” They would be a “little tired” by the time they reached Rio de Janeiro, “worse” in London, and full-blown “nightmares” in Paris.
Well, they could always have “several cups of coffee,” Brosnahan suggested. But if fans at the succeeding stops showed even half the enthusiasm Filipinos did, who needs all that caffeine?
The fans’ energy, Brosnahan said, is more than enough—“the wind beneath our wings.” Or should we say, the cape?
At a press conference the following day—after the fanfare, after the jeepney photo ops, and fireworks that lit up the night sky—the cast settled in for a more intimate discussion of “Superman,” which will launch the rebooted DC Universe led by DC Studios cochairs and coCEOs Gunn and Safran.
Not an origin story
This is not an origin story, as some might assume—that tale has been told countless times. Instead, the movie follows a young Clark Kent as he reconciles his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, all while forging a career in journalism at the Daily Planet in Metropolis.
And while Zack Snyder’s version of Superman was that of a mythic, godlike figure facing existential and moral dread in a dark, brooding world, Gunn’s take is warmer, more grounded, and rooted in human relationships with real emotional stakes. It’s the story of a larger-than-life hero grappling with the struggles of a hopeful everyman—the Superman he fell in love with as a young boy, flipping through the classic Silver Age comic books.
“I wanted to recreate the feeling I had as a young child in a film that both children and adults can enjoy. It’s a universe filled with real people who have issues and problems in their relationships—people with flaws, things they want to change, and things they don’t want to change about themselves because they’re stubborn,” Gunn said. “Bringing Superman to the screen as he is—while giving him more life and a deeper understanding of who he is—was the joy of my life.”
Simply put, this Superman is super human. And what is more human than loneliness and isolation? Gunn’s directive to Corenswet was “to work on his shoulders and work on his vulnerability.” The actor didn’t expect either to come together in one fell swoop.
A self-described “string bean” who was “never quite able to fill out a shirt” properly, Corenswet buckled down, consuming as many calories as he reasonably could to gain weight, and spending hours in the gym six days a week. And when he wasn’t in the gym, he dreamed about being in one.
There came a time, however, when it was nothing but him and the weights—just him and his mind—willing himself to push his body through one more rep, one more set, in the name of transformation.
“It’s in that moment that you feel very alone, even if you’re surrounded by other people at the gym. And that was the first time I felt like I had tapped into something central about Superman: He struggles with loneliness, with feeling isolated and alienated from the very people he loves most and wants to be closest to,” Corenswet said.
Transformation
But what a transformation it was. He gained close to 40 pounds of muscle, achieving that naturally strong, functionally muscular, “farm boy” physique that Gunn had in mind for the character. This time, he filled out the Superman suit and then some. And the day he walked out in front of the cast and crew in full regalia was the day everyone turned into a kid all over again.
Everyone was freaking out on set—even Nicholas Hoult, who plays the main villain, Lex Luthor—Gunn recalled. “It’s like how every kid brightens up when they see Santa Claus,” he said. “Nick Hoult … his teeth were chattering and had these big, puppy dog eyes. It was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
Brosnahan will never forget this moment: walking through a field at night, the moon glowing brightly overhead, and seeing Corenswet’s cape billowing in the wind. They were about three-quarters of the way through shooting. And just when she thought she had gotten used to the sight, it hit her.
“I ran right up to David and said, ‘Dude! You’re Superman!’” said the actress, who plays Lois Lane—an award-winning journalist who doesn’t let her romance with Kent get in the way of asking him hard questions, holding him accountable for his actions, and addressing their potential ethical implications.
Because once Kent suits up as Superman, he becomes a figure far greater than his own loneliness and yearning for belongingness. But even as he seeks to save the world from evil forces—or perhaps even from himself—he remains “driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.”
Gunn is used to writing characters “who are kind of crabby and have a lot of issues.” His Superman isn’t perfect, but he has a good heart and a pure soul. And in a fragmented world that doesn’t make it easy for anyone to be a hero, kindness itself becomes an act of rebellion.
“He’s a character for the world, he’s a character for the Philippines,” he said.
Opening in local cinemas on July 9, the film couldn’t arrive at a more timely moment. The world today is mired in tension and conflict, with wars—both real and ideological—playing out online and in real life. But once Superman takes flight, perhaps grabbing hold of his cape can offer viewers a much-needed sense of escape.
“There’s so much bitterness, so much anger in the world. But our guy is different. I think he’s the kind of hope and guiding light we need right now,” Gunn said.
