‘I admire him greatly’: James Gunn on Bradley Cooper’s ‘Superman’ cameo

WASHINGTON; Filmmaker James Gunn has all the praise for Bradley Cooper, and that is why he decided to cast him in ‘Superman’, reported Variety.

Cooper plays Jor-El, Superman’s father, in the opening sequence of the movie. Marlon Brando, the iconic actor, originally played the part in the 1978 film ‘Superman’. Gunn stated that he cast Cooper with Brando’s performance in mind, knowing that he could maintain the iconic image of Jor-El.

“I needed somebody who could play Jor-El, who had the stature of what we imagine that character to be,” said Gunn, adding, “Somebody that could walk in the footsteps of Marlon Brando,” reported Variety.

James Gunn on casting Bradley Cooper as Jor-El

“Really, Bradley’s just doing me a favor. He’s a friend. We’ve stayed in close contact since the ‘Guardians’ movies. I admire him greatly as an actor and as a director”

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— DCU Superman News (@DCUSuperNews) June 30, 2025

Gunn earlier worked with Cooper on the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trilogy, in which Bradley played Rocket Raccoon. The director shared that the bond he developed with the actor in those films made it easier for him to cast Cooper in the recent movie.

“He’s a friend,” Gunn said, adding, “We’ve stayed in close contact since the ‘Guardians’ movies, and I admire him greatly as an actor and as a director.” Gunn added that he called Cooper and asked, “Hey, will you do me a favour? Come down, go to England, we’re going to shoot you in a 3D environment, make a hologram of you, and you can play Jor-El.”

David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult lead the cast of Gunn’s ‘Superman” as the titular ‘Man of Steel’ and the villainous Lex Luthor, respectively. Other cast members include Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), Skyler Gisondo (Jimmy Olsen), Anthony Carrigan (Metamorpho), Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), Nathan Fillon (Guy Gardner) and Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl).

James Gunn’s Superman was released on July 11. The movie had a tremendous start at the box office. Gunn took to Instagram Threads to share the opening numbers of the film at the box office. ‘Superman’ had the third biggest domestic opening of the year, earning USD 122 million over the weekend. The film currently sits at a global tally of USD 217 million, reported Variety.

“I’m incredibly grateful for your enthusiasm and kind words over the past few days,” Gunn wrote. “We’ve had a lot of ‘Super’ in ‘Superman’ over the years, and I’m happy to have made a movie that focuses on the ‘man’ part of the equation, a kind person always looking out for those in need.”

He added, “That that resonates so powerfully with so many people across the world is in itself a hopeful testament to the kindness and quality of human beings. Thank you,” reported Variety. (ANI)