Even earlier 'Superman' trailer has taken off onlinethe world got a hint of what's in store thanks to a gorgeous poster accompanied by a sample of the film's score from the rule-breaking composer John Murphy. Well, Murphy's work along with hints of John Williams' iconic theme for Richard Donner's 1978 Superman: The Movie — and even if the internet is against it, the inclusion of Williams' subject here should not be open to debate. However, Gunn indicated that he wasn't overly focused on honoring what came before his own take on Superman, so why was Williams' theme included in the first place? And will he even have a large presence in the actual film?

Well, just like the rest of the world whenever Superman is mentioned, Williams' legendary tune has been playing on loop in Gunn's head since he started working on Superman. As he explained at a press event to launch the film's trailer (with /Film's Bill Bria in attendance), Gunn saw the inclusion of the theme as his way of "going back in time". At the same time, however, the director knew that his Man of Steel would need its own theme music, so he recruited his "The Suicide Squad" collaborator and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” Murphy for this assignment. Gunn praised the composer for daring to integrate Williams' beloved theme into his music anyway, noting:

"What's really amazing is how it leads into so many other pieces, some of which go back to the Williams theme, but some of which are purely John Murphy, he goes into that, he comes back and it's used beautifully throughout the film." .

When it comes to such an important element of Superman's history, Gunn said he didn't hesitate to explain his plans to his composer. Along with DC Studios co-head Peter Safran, Murphy was one of the first people Gunn showed his Superman script to, allowing him to start working on the film's music as soon as possible. "And I said, 'I want to use a version of the Williams theme, but I want to do our own version of it.' So that's what you're hearing," Gunn added.

Not that this approach is anything new for Gunn. And as many know, I write the score, the basic elements of the score beforehand," the director noted, recalling how his creative process on the Guardians of the Galaxy films really began with their soundtracks. "We play those on set while we're shooting, and we did that with this one." But it's about finding, with everything with this film, it's finding that balance between the novel and the traditional and where that line is. And accepting both of those things," Gunn admitted.

All this talk of balancing and letting the old meet the new feels like an appropriate route to take with the kind of Superman Gunn: an old-fashioned force for good in a strange new world that might struggle to find a place for him. Fortunately, with these reassuring prospects, and even at some time when memorable movie themes seem to have disappearedyou'll believe a man can try when Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.