The first new DC superhero movie released under the new regime headed by James Gunn may not be what fans might expect. On September 21 and September 25, DC Studios will release a new documentary called Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which will tell the amazing, heartbreaking, and inspirational story of the most famous actor to ever wear the iconic red cape and boots.
Technically speaking, this will be the first feature film released theatrically under the new DC Studios initiative, which will begin rolling out new DC comics superhero films starting in 2025 with the release of the new Superman reboot, directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet in the title role. But none of this would be possible without Reeve, the man who, beginning with the 1978 film Superman, changed everything about the way we think about comic book feature films.
The just-released trailer for Super/Man lives up to its bifurcated title. It is both about the “super” aspect of Christopher Reeve’s life, the man we think we know so well from his four films as Kal-El/Clark Kent, but also the “man” himself. Central to the story of Reeve’s life is the tragic moment when, in 1995, he became paralyzed from the neck down following an accident while riding a horse. This transformative moment led Reeve to become a very different kind of hero than the one we all loved from his Superman films. As he says in the trailer, his definition of a hero evolved and changed because of his accident. “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
The film promises to illuminate how Reeve turned his tragedy into triumph, primarily through his push for more spinal research — including stem cell research — and how those techniques and treatments have continued to benefit countless people to this day. Featuring archive footage of Reeve, as well as contemporary interviews with his family, Super/Man aims to be a documentary that celebrates Reeve’s life from all angles. From DC diehards to casual fans of movies, this one seems like it will have something for everyone.
Officially produced high-budget superhero documentaries aren’t incredibly common, and it’s also nearly unheard of for DC to do a theatrical release for a documentary. But, as the new crop of DC films looks toward the future, it seems that for now, we’ll get a loving look at where we’ve been and the stand-out real-life hero that continues to inspire millions.
