James Gunn isn’t here to waste your time. According to new reports online, his upcoming Superman film, the first official entry in DC Studios’ new DCU slate, clocks in at a tidy 122-minute runtime. That’s 2 hours and 2 minutes—about 20 minutes shorter than Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013), which ran for 143 minutes.
Why the shorter runtime? Well, unlike Snyder’s version, which spent a good chunk of its opening act on Krypton with Russell Crowe’s Jor-El fighting Zod, Gunn’s Superman skips the origin story entirely. In fact, when the film opens, Clark Kent is already flying around in the red-and-blue suit and everyone—including Lois Lane—already knows he’s Superman. There’s no more glasses-as-a-disguise nonsense. Just straight-up hero stuff.
This change alone saves about 30 minutes of screentime usually spent explaining why Krypton exploded, who Zod is, and why baby Kal-El was launched into space.
What’s interesting is how this runtime stacks up against the rest of Superman’s cinematic past. Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978) ran a whopping 143 minutes. Superman II was 127 minutes. Superman Returns was 154 minutes. Even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had time to squeeze in 152 minutes of moody brooding and Martha-related drama. And then there’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League—which basically requires a lunch break at the halfway point with its four-hour runtime (242 minutes, if you’re counting). Only Superman IV: The Quest for Peace came in shorter than Gunn’s new take, at just 90 minutes. And that’s a film most of us try to pretend never existed.
So, what does a brisk 2-hour Superman movie mean for fans?
More action, for one. Based on what we’ve seen so far—multiple fight sequences in trailers, fast-paced editing, and that optimistic tone Gunn keeps teasing—this film looks like it’s trading slow-motion existential walks for kinetic storytelling. You won’t see Superman standing on a mountain staring into the distance while Chris Cornell plays in the background. This Kal-El has things to do.
And while some critics online have labelled it a “kids’ film,” the PG-13 rating (accidentally confirmed through a toy commercial) says otherwise. Kids’ films don’t usually run this long—Lilo & Stitch is 85 minutes. Gunn’s Superman clearly isn’t just for 10-year-olds.
With tickets expected to go on sale soon and the July 11, 2025 UK release date fast approaching, fans can look forward to a leaner, meaner Superman. One that doesn’t overstay his welcome or drag through a 45-minute Kryptonian history lesson.
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