Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s yet another lawsuit leveled at James Gunn’s Superman! The DCEU is finally coming to the big screen this July, with David Corenswet playing the Man of Steel in the rebooted DCU. The film is set to hit theaters on July 11. But that release date could be drastically altered in some countries as another lawsuit from the estate of Superman’s co-creator, Joe Schuster, has been filed against the DCU movie. The latest lawsuit from the Schuster estate was revealed in Puck’s latest newsletter. Eriq Gardner reported that Mare Toberoff, the attorney for Joe Schuster’s estate, has refiled the family’s copyright case in New York state court. As well as the copyright claim, Toberoff is seeking an injunction to block the release of Superman in the U.K., Canada, Australia, and Ireland, claiming that Warner Bros. is “exploiting Superman.” The reason for these specific territories being chosen comes from their respective copyright laws.

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The new report revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery has been ordered to “submit opposition papers by Friday” by the New York Supreme Court. The studio will then have to send representatives to court on June 4 to explain why the injunction shouldn’t be granted. Puck’s report says that the lawsuit, so close to Superman’s release, is “theoretically jeopardizing the global rollout” of the film.
What ‘Superman’s Lawsuit Means for the DCU

Warner Bros.

Should the injunction be granted, it would have a major effect on Superman’s box office. The UK, Canada, and Australia are three of the biggest international markets for Hollywood movies. Were the film’s release in these territories to be delayed, it would massively dampen Superman’s overall box office draw. Some speculate that Warner Bros. could even consider delaying the movie until a new release date is confirmed for those territories. But, this is all a big “if.” In reality, this is far from the first lawsuit the Schuster estate has tried to file against Superman. In fact, it’s not even the first one this year. In January, Schuster’s estate attempted to sue Warner Bros. Discovery in Federal Court in the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit sought “damages and injuctive relief” for “ongoing infringement” in the same territories listed in the new lawsuit. The lawsuit is targeted at Warner Bros.’ use of the Superman IP as a whole, although James Gunn’s new movie was specifically mentioned within the suit, as it read, “Defendants are actively planning a major new Superman motion picture and other derivative works for imminent worldwide release.” In March, Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Comics filed for the lawsuit to be dismissed. The companies claimed that the suit “failed on every ground.” A report suggested that the suit was denied by a federal judge in March. However, the most recent development confirms that the estate is pushing forward with the lawsuit. Superman is currently set to release on July 11, 2025. We will have to wait until June 4 to see if the lawsuit holds any merit. Source: Puck

Superman

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Director

James Gunn

Producers

Lars P. Winther, Peter Safran