Superman and friends ride a very special jeepney in Manila
When Superman and friends—lead actors David Corenswet (Clark Kent / Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran—flew to Manila in June, they received a rousing welcome from legions of Philippine fans. They also received a ride in a very special vehicle—a Philippine jeepney customized for the “Superman: Look Up” fan event. The Manila event was the first stop of the group’s world publicity tour, and the only stop in Southeast Asia.
Superman, unlike his work friend the Dark Knight, has no need for a four-wheeled vehicle. But his alter-ego Mr. Corenswet and friends certainly did, especially as they traveled from one fan event to another. There was the gathering of a potentially world’s-largest human Superman “S” symbol at the Opus mall at Bridgetowne, then a red-carpet meet-and-greet at SM Mall of Asia.
To go around the Mall of Asia grounds, cast and crew got to ride a jeepney customized in the Man of Steel’s classic blue and red colors. The jeepney was meticulously wrapped in printed vinyl and decked out with a cape on its roof. We spoke with customizer Justin Uy, whose company Vinyl Frog was tapped by Warner Brothers for the surprise vehicle.
“We got a call from Warner Brothers one day, and I was actually thinking it was for the F1 movie. But then we were told it’s for a custom jeepney and we would have to wait for final plans and keep it highly confidential. When we found out that the cast, director and producer of the Superman movie was coming to Manila, we got really excited and put all our effort and resources into the project,” enthused Justin Uy.
The project carried its own share of challenging work. “The jeepney is actually a very tricky vehicle to wrap as it has a lot of uneven surfaces. We had to find a jeepney that had a clean stainless steel body – just like the Man of Steel! The beauty of using a wrap versus paint is the quick turnaround – we were only given 2 weeks for this project from start to finish. At the same time, we had to make sure to be able to remove the wrap after the event and return the jeepney in its original condition. That’s the beauty of good quality wraps,” continued Mr. Uy.
Making the vehicle “fly” was another trick entirely. Said Mr. Uy: “The most challenging part was to make a cape for the jeepney. We had to make it look like it was flying even if the jeepney was standing still. We partnered with an artist who specializes in sculptures to prepare the metal frame and sculpt the cape appropriately. Overall, the project was really memorable as we were able to put forward a Filipino touch to a Hollywood film. As the slogan of Vinyl Frog goes: go beyond the usual.”
To make the visit even more memorable, James Gunn and company were given jeepney die-cast scale models by Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls.
“We were also tasked to make a miniature version of the jeepney as a gift to the visitors. Many years ago, my grandfather would always give a silver Jeepney to his foreign guests so I did the same recently—but in die cast form. Little did I know that Warner Brothers would take notice and decide to give a similar gift for the “Superman” cast and crew. I actually feel that the mini version is just as hard to do as the real Jeepney as it requires the same attention to detail.”
“Superman” is the first feature film in James Gunn’s widely-anticipated DC Universe series of movies, TV shows, and video games. The movie is part of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, with “Supergirl”, “Clayface,” “The Brave and the Bold,” and “Swamp Thing” to follow in Superman’s wake. A god may not need a jeepney, but his earthly counterparts who have brought his story to life certainly did in Manila. “Superman” flies into theaters on June 9, 2025.
