*Courtesy of Phillip Faraone/Getty Images.*

James Gunn stirred excitement for his upcoming ‘Superman’ film prior to the release of the first trailer on Thursday. He recently shared some insights into his creative process and inspirations for the DC Studios project.

Gunn has revealed that the action sequences in the film draw significant inspiration from ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ particularly in how aerial scenes are handled. “I wrote up this big document on action and what our philosophy is of action and how we shoot it and what it is, and keeping it alive in the air, as well as on the ground,” Gunn explained in an interview with ComicBook. He emphasized the challenges of filming high-energy scenes in the sky, similar to his previous work in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘The Suicide Squad.’

Gunn added, “So we took a lot from films like ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ which, we are shooting flying things. We shoot a lot of our action with actual drones flying in and around Superman and the people that he’s flying with, The Engineer, whoever else, that he’s fighting up in the air, and we did that on sound stages. We got these really small, crazy drones now. We’ve got some of the best flyers in the world here who are working with it. And so we use those guys a lot and everything’s planned out with me, as it always is. But at the same time, I’ve gotten even more into finding new stuff on the set and new moments and exploring that stuff, finding magic where it is.”

Moreover, Gunn discussed how the portrayal of Superman in his film is influenced by a variety of previous DC adaptations. According to IGN, Gunn appreciated elements from Zack Snyder's vision as well as classic interpretations like the Richard Donner films. However, he aims to create something distinct from these past versions.

"I think that all previous DC media influenced me,” Gunn said, according to IGN. “I think that obviously the original Donner movie influenced me, but there’s also a lot of things that this isn’t, like I’m just making a Donner-type movie. It’s very different from that. Zack [Snyder] did some excellent stuff. So there’s a lot of ways that influenced me. There’s a lot of ways in which the DC animated universe [influenced me], and then there’s a lot of stuff from the comic books – above and beyond anything else, All-Star Superman – that influenced me more than anything. To take that sort of Silver Age feel, that sort of science-fiction approach to it with gadgets, Lex [Luthor] is really a sort of sorcerer in a way. He’s a scientist, but he’s so good at science and I think of him as like a sorcerer.”

The film stars David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Gunn is particularly excited about exploring the unique dynamics of their on-screen relationship. He believes their interaction offers a fresh perspective not typically seen in superhero films.

“It’s just something that’s completely us,” Gunn said, according to ComicBook. “The relationship between David and Rachel’s [characters] on screen is something I don’t think we’ve seen in – I hate to say stuff like this – but I don’t think it’s something we’ve ever seen any superhero movie ever.”

Gunn added, “It’s a complicated relationship and we really get into it and there’s long scenes that are about their relationship and the way they relate and what it would be like for a person who’s this incredibly intelligent, strong-headed, stubborn, skeptical journalist, to have a relationship with someone who can lift a skyscraper.”

This new Superman film promises to blend traditional elements with innovative techniques to storytelling, potentially setting a new standard for superhero cinema.

Gunn appears to respect the past while embracing the future.

MORE NEWS