Superman: Rachel Brosnahan reveals how DC film stands apart from James Gunn’s other superhero movies

Rachel Brosnahan thinks Superman is different to James Gunn’s other superhero projects because “it feels hopeful, rather than explicitly comedic”.

Before helming the upcoming DC blockbuster, the 58-year-old filmmaker had directed the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel, 2021's The Suicide Squad and the HBO Max series Peacemaker, though Brosnahan - who portrays Lois Lane in Superman - has now explained the movie differs from Gunn’s other superhero projects because it is more serious in tone.

Speaking to Collider, the 34-year-old actress said: "It feels hopeful, rather than explicitly comedic to me.

“I think one of the things I love about so many of James's movies is that they're a real shot in the arm of hope. They remind you that the reason people love comic books is because they teach us that superheroes aren't the only superheroes.

“They aren't the only ones with important powers in these worlds. They remind us the importance of courage and tenacity and interest in each other's well-being.

“What it means to be in service of the greater good. And I think we could really use a shot in the arm of hope right now.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star added superhero films such as Sir Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy “felt like what we needed” during their time, and the “hope” of Superman was what “we need right now”.

She explained: “A lot of these movies, you know, the Nolan Batman movies, were such a specific representation of these comics at a specific moment in time.

“And I think part of the reason they were so successful is because they felt like what we needed. And so the hope is that this version is the Superman we need right now.”

Looking to her future in the DC Universe (DCU), Brosnahan said she was hoping to return as Lois Lane in more projects following Superman, though stressed it was still early days for the franchise.

When asked if she would be back for more after Superman, she said: “I'd be so lucky. I mean, we're early, so talk to me in a couple of years.

“I would feel so lucky to have something, and certainly something as iconic as this, to return to.”

Superman follows the titular hero (David Corenswet) as he tries to balance his human and Kryptonian lives, all while Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) plots his downfall.

Superman - which lands in cinemas on July 11 - is set to be the first movie in Gunn’s DCU, and the director had stressed “people are looking for heroes right now” in a troubled time for the world.

He told The Hollywood Reporter at a DC press event: “I think he’s the right Superman because he is a character that stands for something that is solid, stands for basic human morals, basic human integrity, basic belief in protecting others and protecting the weak being good to people and being honest.

“People are looking for heroes right now. They are looking for values of goodness, looking for people who are good and decent human beings. And Superman is that.”