It appears everyone got used to the more militaristic and serious Snyderverse Superman that the comeback of the iconic red trunks has been a subject of division among fans. Likewise, Superman’s red trunks went through a rather painstaking process that made director James Gunn torn on whether to keep it or take it off for the new Superman movie.
James Gunn revealed in a recent interview with Screen Brief that he actually went through quite an arduous back-and-forth and even internal debates regarding Superman’s red trunks. He knew very well that bringing it back would invite some negative reception. Gunn even revealed that he asked Man of Steel director Zack Snyder about his thoughts on the red trunks.
Turns out Snyder also went through a meticulous process of trying to make the red trunks work but ultimately cut them out of the final design. Gunn was convinced by Snyder’s reply, but he received one more input from Superman actor David Corenswet that would eventually overturn his perspective on Superman’s red trunks. Here’s the full thought process from James Gunn:
“I didn’t know about the trunks. I wanted to use the trunks, but I couldn’t, I kept taking them off. And I came in, it’s very colorful, the trunks are on, and I’m like, ‘God, I don’t know. It’s just so colorful. David (Corenswet), how do you feel?’ He’s like, ‘I love it.’ And I’m like, ‘Really, it’s that colorful.’
And David said, ‘I’m an alien from outer space who can fly and lift buildings, and I shoot laser beams out of my eyes that can dissolve things. I want kids to not be afraid of me. So, what am I going to wear?
That was really part of where the costume came from. I saw the character in a new way. And it also showed me how David, before we started even shooting, really took everything, every moment, very seriously in all his choices and what he would do. And he wants to not be scary to kids. I thought that was a pretty cool thing that I’ve kept in mind for the character ever since that moment,” explained James Gunn to Screen Brief.
So thanks to David Corenswet, or Superman‘s actor, the red trunks were kept on. Corenswet’s take on the Superman costume has proven to be a rather important pivot away from Zack Snyder’s darker and angstier take on Superman.
A Return to Form for Superman
Corenswet even likens the red trunks to the costume of a professional wrestler. Thus, James Gunn’s internalization on whether to keep the red trunks or not was solved and the director settled on the more traditional Superman design.
James Gunn notably has a long and successful history of making superhero movies about otherworldly outcasts and outsiders, and Superman is fundamentally no different. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, for example, has been one of Gunn’s most successful works so far, and he quickly proved just how well he can turn a group of nobodies and outcasts lovable.
With the success of the Superman teaser trailer, it appears James Gunn is also poised to find similar success but this time in the DC Universe instead of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
