James Gunn Says ‘Superman’ Got a Swift Digital Release Due to ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

James Gunn Says ‘Superman’ Got a Swift Digital Release Due to ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2

James Gunn’s Superman is gearing up for a digital release on Friday, and the director says there’s a reason behind its quick virtual arrival.

The DCU film hit theaters on July 11, with the film being out for only a little over a month before it was available to buy/rent on Friday via Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home, among other platforms. When speaking with Screen Rant, Gunn said the film had such a quick streaming turnaround due to the release of Peacemaker season two. 

“Well, it’s very complicated, but the truth is it is because of Peacemaker,” he said when asked what drove the “mindset” of releasing the film on streaming so “soon after” Superman’s theatrical release. 

“I originally thought Peacemaker was going to be coming out next month,” Gunn added. “There was a lot of things that are beyond our control, so that Peacemaker is coming out now, and, at the end of the day, I wanted everyone to be able to see Superman that wanted to, even those people who couldn’t get to a theater before Peacemaker. And that’s really the reason for it.”

At the Wednesday night New York premiere of the DCU series, the showrunner told The Hollywood Reporter that his David Corenswet-led superhero movie “leads directly into Peacemaker” while the second season of the TV show will end up “setting up all of the rest of the DCU.”

“It’s a big part, definitely Superman leads directly into Peacemaker,” he explained. “It should be noted that this is for adults, not for children, but Superman leads into this show and then we have the setting up of all of the rest of the DCU in this season of Peacemaker, it’s incredibly important.” 

Of what to expect in season two, Gunn added, “Lots of guest stars coming up, lots of characters that are showing up that we’ve already met in Superman. I don’t think there’s anything that I’ve ever done that I love more than this season of Peacemaker, so I’m so excited for people to see it.”

John Cena, who stars in the show, reiterated Gunn’s sentiments, telling THR that season two “is about furthering the narrative. Instead of stand-alone properties, all of the DCU is now connected, as you saw Peacemaker show up in Superman. I think what you see in season two is just a forward of that narrative. That whole DCU throughline — it takes the 11th Street Kids through their next adventure, but it also has a lot to do with the DCU going forward.”