Credit: DC / Warner Bros.DC Studios faces an unexpected obstacle in its plans to rejuvenate the entire superhero franchise.
James Gunn, known for his work on Guardians of the Galaxy, made the unexpected move from Marvel to DC Studios in 2021. After impressing audiences with his unique blend of humor and heart in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (from which he was briefly fired due to resurfaced old jokes), Gunn was hired as co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios.
His new role was to guide the future of the DC Universe, bringing a fresh vision and focus to the franchise following inconsistent leadership and direction in past years.
While the idea of filling the void with these films may seem bleak, we’re managing to get by by imagining what the franchise will look like once James Gunn’s era officially begins.
As per the latest news, however, there’s a chance that some of us may be waiting longer for its debut than others. Although Superman (2025) has fixed July 11 as its release date, a new lawsuit is looking to block its premiere on multiple locations.
Will Superman Hit Theaters?
Mark Warren Peary – the executor of sadly-deceased Superman co-creator Joseph Schuster’s estate – has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery, DC Comics, and DC Entertainment in the Southern District of New York Federal Court, seeking damages, injunctive relief for ongoing infringement in Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia, and a declaratory judgment affirming the Shuster Estate’s ownership rights in these jurisdictions.
The lawsuit addresses foreign copyrights to the original Superman character, coauthored by Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster. Despite assigning worldwide rights to DC’s predecessor in 1938 for just $130, copyright laws in countries with a British legal tradition—like Canada, the UK, Ireland, and Australia—automatically terminate such assignments 25 years after an author’s death, giving the Shuster Estate the co-author’s full copyright interest in those regions.
Should the case be successful, there’s a chance the film’s international release will face issues. This would be especially problematic for Warner Bros., considering how much it has invested into its newly refreshed cinematic universe and the fact that the trailer was the most viewed and the most talked about in both DC and Warner Bros.’s history.
Featuring David Corenswet as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, this film—which was previously known as Superman Legacy (2025)—presents Warner Bros.’s biggest opportunity to revitalize its DC franchise. Unfortunately, being blocked in several countries could prove to be a huge roadblock.
Warner Bros. Discovery commented on the case to Deadline, claiming that it “fundamentally disagree[s] with the merits of the lawsuit, and will vigorously defend our rights.”
Are you excited for Superman?