Director James Gunn has confirmed that his upcoming Superman reboot, Superman: Legacy, will see the return of a staple character: Superman’s best friend and photojournalist Jimmy Olsen. Taking to social media, as the filmmaker is accustomed to doing to set the record straight on his emerging DCU, Gunn answered a fan question about Jimmy Olsen with a simple “ofc.”
This makes Jimmy Olsen the first character to be confirmed to appear in Superman: Legacy outside of the titular DC superhero. Introduced in the early days of Superman (the character was first introduced as Jimmy Olsen on The Adventures of Superman radio show way back in 1940), Jimmy Olsen has appeared throughout many of the live action adaptations including the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, the 2006 sequel Superman Returns, The CW’s Smallville, and The Arrowverse.
Usually depicted as a photographer for The Daily Planet and friend of Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Superman, Jimmy Olsen the most recent iteration of the character on the big screen proved to be a deeply controversial one. Played by Michael Cassidy in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Jimmy Olsen was transformed from the wholesome, comic relief character into…a CIA agent. Who was killed in the first act. No doubt Gunn has something a little closer to the source material in mind.
“Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” the official Superman: Legacy synopsis reads. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
Superman: Legacy Has Now Entered Early Production
Thanks to James Gunn, we now know that Superman: Legacy has entered early pre-production, with the writer and director taking to social media to share an image of the first page of the script for the Superman reboot. Celebrating Superman Anniversary Day, Gunn revealed that he is “honored to be a part of the legacy. And what better day than #SupermanAnniversary Day to dive fully into early pre-production on #SupermanLegacy? Costumes, production design, and more now up and running.”
Gunn has also confirmed that he will indeed write and direct Superman: Legacy, with the filmmaker seemingly leaving the MCU behind following the release of next month’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. “Yes, I’m directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025. My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, ‘Dude, it’s Dad’s birthday.’ I hadn’t realized,” the director said of his decision to helm the DCU project.
After revealing that, in the past, he has struggled to work out a way into the story of the super-powered Krpytonian, he has now had his light bulb moment. “Then a bit less than a year ago I saw a way in, in many ways centering around Superman’s heritage — how both his aristocratic Kryptonian parents and his Kansas farmer parents inform who he is and the choices he makes,” he revealed.
Superman: Legacy is scheduled for release on July, 11, 2025.
