James Gunn has already written off one hit song for ‘Superman: Legacy’ and for good reason

James Gunn has a daunting task ahead of him. He’s only been put in charge of the DC Universe, but he will personally write and direct the next Superman film, titled Superman: Legacy. There’s a lot of small details to consider in adapting such an iconic character, and Gunn, an avid social media user, has been frank about what he’s going to include and exclude.

While on the BlueSky Social app, Gunn was asked whether he would consider using the David Bowie song “Starman” in Superman: Legacy. Those familiar with the song know that the lyrics mesh well with the Superman character, and those who are chronically online know that “Starman” has been used to soundtrack a viral TikTok of a guy dressing as Superman and performing kind acts.

Gunn responded to the user with a clear answer: no. When a second user mentioned the viral TikTok, Gunn wrote back: “One of the reasons I wouldn’t use it (after being asked hundreds of times to use it for the past ten years in Guardians).” While nobody could blame the filmmaker for wanting to put distance between Superman: Legacy and a TikTok, it’s easy to imagine “Starman” being a killer needle drop in a Guardians of the Galaxy film.

Gunn is a filmmaker that’s closely associated with pop music. The decision to have the playlists of the characters dictate the music we heard was an ingenious one, and helped to create several iconic moments throughout the Guardians trilogy. Who could forget Star Lord (Chris Pratt) dancing to “Come and Get Your Love” or Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) dancing to “Mr. Blue Sky?”

The secret to Gunn’s musically sophisticated filmmaking is simple: he picks the songs he wants ahead of time. “I write all of the songs into the screenplay, and then those songs we play on set as we do the scenes,” he told NME in 2021. “We write those musical cues for important sections long before we shoot the movie. So that we shoot the movie to the scores that we’re playing.”

It would be cool to see Gunn bring his knack for needle drops to Superman: Legacy, but he’s hinted at the possibility that he will take a different approach. When a BlueSky user asked about the musical direction of the film, Gunn responded: “I have more than an idea. We are, as usual, already developing a score, and taking a unique path.” What that unique path may be, is anybody’s guess.

What we do know is who will be playing Superman and Lois Lane. David Corsenwet will be donning the red and blue tights, while Rachel Brosnahan will be taking over the Daily Planet press credentials. Gunn’s casting process was the subject of intense speculation, and several talented actors were said to have auditioned, but the filmmaker made it clear that he couldn’t have been happier with his choices. “They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people,” he wrote on Twitter.

We can’t wait to see the new Superman spring into action, regardless of what songs are playing!