Intrepid reporter Lois Lane grills the Man Of Steel in new Superman trailer

James Gunn gives a nod to the 1978 classic ahead of his own Superman premiere on July 11.

By Mary Kate Carr | May 14, 2025 | 1:00pm

Photo: Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros. Pictures

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Intrepid reporter Lois Lane grills the Man Of Steel in new Superman trailer

James Gunn knows a shortcut to winning over Superman fans: Reference the 1978 Superman movie, specifically the scene where Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane interviews Christopher Reeve’s Man Of Steel. The new Superman trailer features a similar interview between Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman (David Corenswet), with a frisson of the same romantic tension that underlies the beloved 1978 sequence. But there are a few key differences: this Lois is well aware of Clark Kent’s secret identity, and her questions are slightly more hard-boiled—leading to a tension of a different kind.

Lois grilling Superman on his extrajudicial interference in a war seems to get at the heart of the conflict of the new DC movie. In his red, yellow, and blue uniform, the classic hero seems to represent the interests of the United States. But “I wasn’t representing anybody except for me, and doing good,” Clark protests. Unfortunately, the U.S. government doesn’t see it that way. (You’ll remember this issue from Captain America: Civil War.) Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) doesn’t even consider him a representative for humankind. “Superman is not a man,” Luthor muses while invading the Fortress Of Solitude. “He’s an it, that’s somehow become the focal point of the entire world’s conversation. I will not accept that.”

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Okaaaay, Superman trailer, getting a little political, aren’t we? Don’t worry, in addition to plot, there’s also spectacle, like seeing some of the other heroes in action: Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. (The latter two also popped up in the recent Peacemaker trailer.) Like many recent superhero movies, this one seems to hustle past the origin story (like how Lois knows Clark is Superman, and they already seem to be in a relationship), but Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince) make an appearance to remind him of his humanity, which he certainly does have despite being an alien, Lex Luthor! Superman, and James Gunn’s brand-new DCU, flies into theaters on July 11.