James Gunn reveals Superman: Legacy starts production despite not having a lead star

James Gunn has confirmed a new Superman film is in pre-production despite not casting a lead yet.

DC fans were buzzing when the filmmaker revealed the next installment of the franchise was underway.

“I’m honored to be a part of the legacy. And what better day than #SupermanAnniversary Day to dive fully into early pre-production on #SupermanLegacy? Costumes, production design, and more now up and running,” he wrote.

The film, titled Superman: Legacy, was confirmed in January by Gunn and DC Studios co-head Peter Safran, and, according to Collider, Gunn will be writing, directing the film and serving as producer.

The reboot will follow Superman as he reconciles his Kryptonite heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas.

Despite production already moving ahead, the actor who will play the Man of Steel is yet to be named.

However, one person we can definitely cross off our list is Henry Cavill.

In October last year, the actor took to Instagram to reveal that he would officially return to don the tight blue suit.

It came after his cameo appearance in Black Adam, which teased Cavill’s return to the DC universe.

"I wanted to wait until the weekend was over before posting this, because I wanted to give you all a chance to see Black Adam,” he said in an Instagram video.

"But now that plenty of you have, I wanted to make it official: I am back as Superman. And the image you see on this post, and what you saw in Black Adam, are just a very small taste of things to come.”

However, things took a stark turn in December when Gunn revealed Cavill would not be playing Superman.

"[DC co-President] Peter [Safran] & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year," he wrote.

"Among those on the slate is Superman.

"In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill."

As the Brit is almost 40, it would be hard to make him look like a budding superhero.

Gunn has confirmed the movie would not be an origin story and said it's currently set to be released on July 25, 2025.