James Gunn’s recent tweet features Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman, suggesting the iconic story may be an inspiration for the DCU’s Man of Steel.

James Gunn is currently working on his script for the DC Universe’s new big-screen version of Superman, which may be taking inspiration from one of the Man of Steel’s most beloved storylines: All-Star Superman.

Gunn recently tweeted a picture of an open copy of Grant Morrison’s seminal Superman story with the caption, “The secret to happiness is starting the morning with coffee and comic books.” A fan replied to the post, saying, “Not sure whether I’m relieved Gunn is a fan of All Star Superman or worried he’s only just started reading it.” The co-CEO of DC Studios was quick to respond, writing, “I’ve read it many, many times.” Gunn did not comment on how Morrison’s work will influence his Superman film, if at all.

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Written by Grant Morrison with art by Frank Quitely, All-Star Superman is a twelve-issue comic book series that ran from 2005 to 2008 and is considered by many as one of the quintessential Superman storylines. The plot follows Superman after he receives the news that he is dying from overexposure to the Sun. Leading up to his inevitable demise, the Man of Steel completes the Herculean “Twelve Labors of Superman,” shares his powers with Lois Lane for her birthday and thwarts a super-powered Lex Luthor one last time before saving the Earth from its corrupted Sun by flying directly into it. The end of the story reveals that Superman, now a solar being, is still alive and running machinery inside the Sun to keep it running.

A New Superman Is on the Way

In December 2022, Gunn revealed that he was developing a script for a new rendition of Superman for the revamped DCU. The story is said to follow a younger version of Clark Kent during his early days at the Daily Planet and will see the introduction of a new actor in the iconic red and blue tights to replace fan-favorite Henry Cavill. Recent rumors suggested that Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi was the favorite to take on the lead role, though Gunn insists casting for the project is not yet underway.

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“My thoughts are no one has been cast as Superman yet,” Gunn tweeted in response to the Elordi rumors. “Casting, as is almost always the case with me, will happen after the script is finished or close to finished, and it isn’t. We’ll announce a few things in not too long, but the casting of Superman won’t be one of them.”

Considering All-Star Superman follows the Man of Steel’s final days on Earth, it seems unlikely that Gunn will opt for a direct adaptation of Morrison and Quitely’s story. In 2011, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment released a direct-to-video animated adaptation of All-Star Superman, featuring the voices of James Denton as Superman, Christina Hendricks as Lois Lane and Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor. Some consider the film among DC Animations’ best adaptations, though others have criticized the alterations to the story, namely the cutting of several sequences from the original comic.

Fans can watch the animated All-Star Superman on HBO Max.

Source: Twitter