James Gunn’s Superman (2025) isn’t just a new chapter for live-action DC movies. It’s also a weird, wild remix of everything the director grew up loving, including flying dogs and flame-spitting kaiju. As Gunn pointed out in a recent interview, he’s a huge fan of tokusatsu, a genre of Japanese filmmaking that goes heavy on practical effects, miniatures, suits, and beautifully over-the-top action. Think Ultraman and Kamen Rider. On hearing this and rewatching the Superman trailer, you can definitely see the influence.
As it turns out, Gunn’s inspiration for Superman is also Japan’s Godzilla Minus One. “My goal was to make a film like Godzilla Minus One, which depicted Godzilla but also had great human drama,” Gunn told CinemaToday. “There is a human story at the root. The relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor is the core of the work.”
It’s not just talk either. The Superman trailer already teases giant monsters, fiery city-wide destruction, and even a giant creature lunging at Superman. The promotional toys also confirm the possibility of more giant creatures appearing, too.
As it turns out, Gunn was obsessed with Ultraman and Japanese sci-fi as a kid. At the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2017, where he served as the chairman of the judging committee, he proudly showed off a childhood photo of himself with Ultraman and Alien Baltan. That wasn’t a casual cosplay moment either. This is a lifelong fanboy turned filmmaker doing what fanboys dream of. “The influence of special effects is huge,” Gunn admitted. “I tried to fuse elements like giant monsters, robots, flying dogs, and other superheroes…” And somehow, he’s managed to fit all that chaos into Superman without losing the human element.
It might sound a little bonkers, but it actually works visually. After all, this is the same guy who turned a talking raccoon and a sentient tree into two of Marvel’s most popular MCU characters. Why not take Superman, the most classic, straight-laced superhero of them all, and throw him into a film that feels like Gojira meets Man of Steel?
The internet seems to approve the influence, too. One Redditor joked, “Godzilla’s design was inspired by a Fleshier Superman episode and now a Superman movie is inspired by a Godzilla movie. Full circle moment.” Another chimed in: “Godzilla Minus One was an absolute banger. July 11 can’t come sooner.”
Superman releases globally on Friday, July 11, in Japan, the U.S. and most of the world on the same day. That means there’s one massive, synchronized premiere across the globe. Apparently, Warner Bros. wants to dodge leaks and maybe, just maybe, preserve a few big surprises.
Could we see a live-action Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong next? Probably not. But we can dream.
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