James Gunn revealed that an unexpected source of inspiration for Superman’s signature red trunks in the forthcoming film comes from the world of professional wrestling.
“Superman’s attire is akin to that of a professional wrestler. He wears clothing that encourages people not to fear him. I genuinely felt a connection to this concept. Moreover, ignoring the uniqueness inherent in Superman’s outfit, and attempting to portray it as serious, is pointless. He’s a superhero, the very first of his kind, wearing vibrant colors. That is his identity. And that’s the basis for our decision, which eventually gained almost unanimous approval for the red trunks,” Gunn explained.
Remarkably, this closely aligns with the original concept of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for the character. In fact, wrestler Karol Krauser was the inspiration for the depiction of Superman in the Fleischer animated short films.
Despite not being particularly fond of Superman’s red trunks and my belief in the necessity of a contemporary update to the costume, similar to the shield logo, I’m elated at the union of my two favorite interests. Additionally, I’m fond of the use of the Kingdom Come version of the Superman emblem in this movie.
Consequently, I raise my eWrestlingNews Question of the Day:
“If you had to choose between current WWE or AEW rosters to cast Superman, who would it be?”
Please share your responses in the comments.
My Input…
Frankly, I have no inclination towards casting a professional wrestler as Superman as none seem to fit the role perfectly. While I adore wrestling, my love for the superhero genre is even deeper, hence prioritizing its preservation. To be clear, I do not consider this a sensible choice; it is simply hypothetical.
Moving forward, we are looking for candidates who are tall, attractive, Caucasian, with dark hair (or willing to dye), in their 20s-30s. Unconventional picks like Erick Rowan with his bulky red beard or Otis are immediately ruled out. I doubt anyone would advocate for Brock Lesnar in this role. He’d better serve as Doomsday or Mongul in a Superman film. Regrettably, unless we consider an alternative universe, Rey Mysterio doesn’t make the cut.
Upon assessing WWE and AEW rosters, only a few names slightly stand out including Austin Theory, Channing Lorenzo, and Johnny TV. However, if I had to condense my choice down to three, I’d lean towards Cutler James, Josh Briggs, and most notably, Ethan Page. Couple that with Ludwig Kaiser as Lex Luthor and perhaps Fallon Henley as Lois Lane, and you’d likely end up with a somewhat flawed Superman movie. But hey, it’s just for fun, right?
Now, let your creativity loose and share some Superman Punch quips in the comments below while giving us your thoughts on this story.