James Gunn Calls Tom King's Role 'Integral' In Superman: Legacy & The New DCU

The new DC Universe kicks off in earnest in 2025 with "Superman: Legacy," directed by James Gunn, who's also co-spearheading the new franchise at large. While there's still plenty of time to learn what Gunn and his DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran's post-DCEU vision will be, the filmmaker has been providing fans with clues on social media.

On December 21, Gunn shared on Threads that his favorite comic book of 2023 was "The Human Target" by Tom King, Greg Smallwood, and Clayton Cowles. King is a prolific comic book writer who's written a great deal for DC, including comic book runs for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. When asked if the comic book scribe would have a role to play in the upcoming "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow" movie, Gunn responded, "Tom is an integral part of the DCU, not just WoT. He's one of the first people I showed the Superman script, asking for notes. He's included in various ways in numerous other projects, including WoT."

King having a say in how Gunn's "Superman: Legacy" script develops is undoubtedly good news for DC fans. It's also interesting because King recently wrote a run for Supergirl literally titled "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow." It was even noted by Variety when the initial DCU announcement was made that the film is based on King's and artist Bilquis Evely's comic. Gunn respects comic book creators, and with King on board, he has one of the best in his corner.

The Hollywood Reporter revealed in November 2023 that Ana Nogueira is working on the script for "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow." She was originally hired to create a Supergirl movie based on Sasha Calle's version of the character from "The Flash." But with the DCEU now gone and the new DC Universe on the horizon, that's going to require some changes. As she writes the film, there are bound to be deviations from the source material, so it's easy to see how Tom King could bring value as a consultant of sorts on this film and other DCU projects.

James Gunn has spoken about what fans can expect from this new cinematic interpretation of the character and how she'll be "much more hardcore." That description does seem to be in line with King and Bilquis Evely's 'Woman of Tomorrow' series, which presented fans with a more wearied version of the Kryptonian who sought to help bring justice to a destroyed world. It may not all be doom and gloom, though; Gunn has said he wants Krypto, Superman's superpowered dog, to appear in his DCU, and the Man of Steel's best friend does, indeed, have a role in the "Woman of Tomorrow" comic.

King and Evely's Supergirl run was well-received by fans and critics alike and has been in the running for a number of awards, including multiple Eisner and Hugo Award nominations. It's clear that King has a thorough understanding of these characters, and his input will undoubtedly be an immense help as Gunn and Peter Safran continue to map out and guide the next chapter of DC films.