James Gunn reveals reason behind surprising decision for ‘Superman’ movie

James Gunn’s Superman starring David Corenswet generated an online debate on whether or not it’s a good idea to keep the character’s famous red trunks.

Images leaked from the set showed David wearing the trunks after they were dropped by Zack Snyder during Henry Cavill’s run as Superman.

Gunn told Gizmodo that he thought it was a no brainer to ditch the silly trunks, but he was convinced otherwise by David.

“We were trying on all these different versions, and we screened tested with trunks and no trunks,” Gunn said. “And one of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes…He’s incredibly powerful and could be considered scary. He wants people to like him. He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity.”

He continued: “So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that hope and shows that positivity. And that really clicked in for me.”

Explaining the basics of Superman’s character, the Guardians of the Galaxy director said: “I think trying to pretend that Superman’s costume doesn’t have some frivolity to it at its base, trying to make it look serious, is silly because he is a superhero. He’s the first one, brightly colored and that’s who he is.”

This comes as Warner Bros prepare to drop the first trailer for James Gunn’s Superman on December 19.