ATLANTA — James Gunn films such as “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Suicide Squad” are known for their dark humor and anarchic spirit.

But Gunn decided to give the latest “Superman” a more introspective, vulnerable feel. He also didn’t want Superman to be universally worshipped, making it clear the Man of Steel’s actions may have consequences that aren’t always positive.

“I’m known to some degree for edgier fare, but I think this is a story about a guy who is not perfect, who is flawed, who has issues,” Gunn said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “At the same time, he is as kind and good-natured as a person can get. I feel like that’s as edgy as I can be these days. It goes against the grain.”

Gunn — who took over as co-CEO of DC Studios in 2023 after working with Marvel for several years — wrote and directed the current incarnation, which arrives in theaters this week. The film was produced largely at Trilith Studios in Fayetteville and Macon, but also features scenes shot in Ohio and Norway.

The stakes are high for DC Studios, which saw financial failures in its last two films “The Flash” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” in 2023. Both Marvel movies that came out this year, “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Thunderbolts,” also fell short of expectations.

Gunn understands that after a consistent run of winners in the 2010s, “superhero fatigue” has become an issue.

“This means we have to make sure the movies we do have real stories and something unique,” he said. “We make sure the screenplays are done before we start the movie. That gives you the best shot of making a good film. We place the screenplay first and foremost. I’m not going to shoot a screenplay I don’t feel is in good shape.”

So far, reviews for “Superman” have been largely positive, with an 82% positive rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Among viewers who have seen free screenings and provided reviews on the site, it has a 96% positive rating.

Gunn said Superman was “the perfect way” to start a revamp of the studio’s movie output since the character, which made his debut in 1938, is known as the first comic book superhero.

He considers Superman part of the “Mount Rushmore” of DC Comics, along with Batman and Wonder Woman. (The analogy was imprecise because he named only three. “The Flash and Green Lantern fought for the fourth spot but nobody won,” he joked.)

He also wanted David Corenswet’s Superman to enter a world that was already packed with “metahumans,” meaning regular humans were used to their presence. “I wanted Superman to exist in this alternative universe,” he said. “I wanted to bring the imagination and experience of reading the comics as a child.”

The movie is packed with technical wizardry, which is par for the course for a superhero film. The flying scenes are especially dynamic, shot from the perspective of another person flying alongside Superman. “We wanted it to feel more alive,” he said. “And we shot it all with David and enormous rigs. Very little of it was digitized.”

Gunn said he also wanted playful interplay between Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, who is still unsure about her secret relationship with the caped crusader at the start of the film.

“I really admired her work on ‘Mrs. Maisel,’” Gunn said, referencing her breakthrough Amazon show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” “I knew she could handle the very fast-paced David Mamet-style dialogue. When we were down to three Supermans and three Lois Lanes, we mixed and matched them. It became obvious David and Rachel had this chemistry that worked extraordinarily well.”

Lane even does a mock interview with Superman, seen in the trailer, that sounds like Leslie Stahl of “60 Minutes” grilling a politician. “I believe journalists are an important part of our culture,” Gunn said. “She works for a real working newspaper and is committed to the truth as much as Superman is committed to helping people.”

Also part of the “Superman” universe are actors Nathan Fillion, who plays Green Lantern, and Anthony Carrigan, who is nearly unrecognizable as Metamorpho.

Fillion is known for his long-running crime-fighting roles on ABC shows “Castle” and “The Rookie.” In “Superman,” he dons a terrible bowl cut as the Green Lantern character Guy Gardner, who insists on calling his crew of metahumans “The Justice Gang.”

“He doesn’t give a crap what anyone thinks of him,” Fillion told the AJC. “He is fearless. But he can also be a jerk. He’s a narcissist. He has a chip on his shoulder and is worried he may be passed up. He has flaws til Tuesday, but at the end of the day, he will do the right thing.”

Fillion has a long history with Gunn going back nearly two decades, first starring in Gunn’s horror movie “Slither” in 2006, then in two “Guardians of the Galaxy” films and “The Suicide Squad.”

“I will do anything for James,” he said. “Thank god for Alexi Hawley (the showrunner for ‘The Rookie.‘) He saw this opportunity for me and has bent over backward to make the time so I can participate in these projects. I could not be more grateful.”

Fillion’s Green Lantern will also appear in the second season of “Peacemaker” on HBO Max, set to debut next month, and upcoming HBO show “Lanterns,” both produced by Gunn.

Carrigan, known for his bad guy roles in Fox’s “Gotham” and HBO’s “Barry,” plays a more tortured soul as Metamorpho in “Superman.”

It took costuming and makeup five to six hours a day to turn Carrigan into the character.

“I was glued in, I was roped in, I was sewed in,” he said.

His character, who can turn into any element, is captured by Lex Luthor and forced to torture Superman. “He is in a very compromised situation,” Carrigan said.

He said the hair loss he’s suffered because of the autoimmune disease alopecia areata helped him relate to Metamorpho.

“In the comic books, he’s cursed by what he looks like and with his powers. On a very simple level, I really connected with that. Growing up with alopecia, I felt cursed. I felt ugly. I felt uncomfortable in my body. It’s now something I love about myself. It’s weirdly my superpower now. It’s what sets me apart.”

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