Superman might do more than just save Metropolis - filmmaker James Gunn hopes the beloved superhero will bring hope to a cynical world.
"Everybody's gotten so cynical and ironic," said Gunn. "Everybody's ironic about everything all the time. And he Superman is a good-natured guy who wants to be kind. And when you see the world through Superman's eyes, everyone is beautiful."
"Superman," which flies into theaters nationwide Thursday, is a bit of a change in tone for the writer and director who brought a mischievous playfulness and snark to the chaotic worlds of "Suicide Squad" and the "Guardians of the Galaxy." But this wasn't some fringe misfit: It's Superman. And a certain amount of optimism was necessary.
The Man of Steel has been a symbol since he first appeared in 1938 among the technicolor pages of Action Comics 1 as a baby from the planet Krypton sent to Earth as a last resort to save him from his planet's demise. In the 87 years since, various iterations of Superman have graced countless comic books, animated series and live-action television shows and films, many focusing on the hero's origin story.
Through Gunn's lens, audiences meet a Superman three years into his self-appointed journey to save anyone in need of help.