No proper trailer. No new poster. But yes, Jayson Tatum is apparently Superman now—at least according to a new commercial that dropped out of nowhere and left the internet scratching its head harder than Lex Luthor during Smallville‘s meteor freak disasters.
With just two months to go before the release of James Gunn’s Superman (July 11, 2025), Warner Bros. marketing continues to lean in all the way into the bizarre. First, there was that odd photo of David Corenswet’s Superman uncomfortably suiting up and pulling on his red boots. Then came a long-delayed teaser trailer, followed by a Green Lantern Super Bowl spot that focused more on his questionable haircut than anything else. Not done yet, the studio hit us with a Puppy Bowl Krypto ad, an awkward spot where James Gunn and Corenswet talked with Shaq about the new suit, and a five-minute short featuring Krypto dragging a knocked-out Superman to the Fortress of Solitude. Cute? Yes. Conventional? Not really.
But now, the strangest entry yet: Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum—yes, the NBA player—has stepped into Superman’s shoes. Literally.
In the new Superman spot, which plays more like a Nike ad than a DC movie teaser, various media outlets (including ESPN) speculate whether Tatum can replace the Man of Steel, who has mysteriously vanished. At the climax, Tatum pulls open his shirt to reveal a Superman tank top underneath. “Who will step up while Superman’s gone?” the commercial asks. Apparently, it’s Tatum—who ironically bombed in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It gets weirder. Tatum has also been rocking custom Superman-themed Jordan Tatum 3 sneakers—bright blue, red, and yellow, complete with Superman logos on the toe and tongue. Is this genius cross-promotion? Or are we watching a marketing team slowly unravel?
All of this comes on the heels of Warner Bros. firing their global marketing chief Josh Goldstine on January 7, just months after renewing his contract. Goldstine was behind hits like The Batman, Barbie, and Wonka, so his surprise exit—announced during the LA wildfires—raised plenty of eyebrows -especially since Superman is arguably WB’s riskiest movie in years.
So, what’s the plan here? Is this guerilla marketing brilliance, or just chaos wrapped in a cape? Either way, if the actual Superman trailer ever drops, we’ll be the first to say it: It’s about time. For now, all we have is this strange Jayson Tatum Superman promotion.
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