‘Superman’: Instant Oscar odds for the James Gunn reboot

You will believe that a man can fly... to the Academy Awards.

After months of pre-release hype, James Gunn's highly anticipated Superman relaunch — which introduces David Corenswet as the Man of Steel — is landing in theaters on July 11. Fan reactions from early screenings have been largely out of this world, while critics' takes range from the enthusiastic to the Kryptonite-tinged. Attention has also been laser-focused on the film's opening weekend box-office prospects as a harbinger for both the future of the DC Comics cinematic universe and superhero cinema in general.

Gunn himself addressed the box-office question in a recent GQ interview, saying: "[People] hear these numbers that the movie’s only going to be successful if it makes $700 million or something and it’s just complete and utter nonsense. It doesn’t need to be as big of a situation as people are saying."

When it comes to the awards race, Superman's Oscar track record places a distant second to his World's Finest partner, Batman. Gotham City's champion boasts multiple nominations and five statuettes across his multidecade big-screen crimefighting career. (Although, to be fair, two of those Oscars were for a solo movie starring his clown-faced nemesis, which also landed the extended Bat-franchise's only Best Picture nod to date.)

Comparatively, the Last Son of Krypton has only been invited to the Oscars twice. Richard Donner's inaugural Superman outing in 1978 scored four nominations and won a special achievement statuette for its pioneering special effects. He returned nearly three decades later courtesy of 2006's Superman Returns from Bryan Singer, which also mustered a VFX nod. (We're only counting live-action features; but it's worth noting that animation pioneer Max Fleischer received an Oscar nomination in 1942 for his classic Superman cartoon shorts.)

To date, Joker and Black Panther are the only two superhero comics-derived movies to break into the Best Picture race. Based on our viewing, Gunn's Superman is unlikely to join them. While it offers an agreeably fresh take on a tough-to-crack character and plenty of good humor, the film's cluttered storytelling and emphasis on fan facing worldbuilding has less to offer Oscar voters.

Corenswet is similarly poised to be passed over in the Best Actor category. Even as he creates a version of Superman that successfully stands apart from Christopher Reeve, the long shadow cast by his predecessor — who was never nominated for his beloved portrayal — never entirely dissipates. Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor also isn't the kind of grandiose supervillain performance that ticks the Best Supporting Actor Oscar box like, say, Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight or Al Pacino in Dick Tracy.

But Superman should still soar in some of the below the line races. See our snap predictions below.

Best Costumes

Cracking the super-suit code is the first and most important task of any successful Superman movie. And Gunn's regular costume designer, Judianna Makovsky, meets that challenge by crafting an update on Superman's red-and-blue ensemble that feels both classic and contemporary. Corenswet's suit is sturdier than the thin leotard worn by Reeve, while also feeling hand-tailored — unlike Henry Cavill's more militaristic Man of Steel armor. Maovsky also creates distinct looks for the other metahumans in the cast, including Nathan Fillion's Green Lantern and Edi Gatheg's Mr. Terrific, the movie's breakout hero.

Best Original Song

Here's a new band to add to your next comic book movie mixtape: The Mighty Crabjoys. The fictional rock group has become a running gag in the rebooted DC Comics cinematic universe and we hear their signature song over the movie's closing credits. Cowritten by Gunn, it's a spot-on parody of turn of the 21st century butt rock that also happens to be a pretty catchy tune. A live Mighty Crabjoys performance at next year's Oscars would be a surefire way to get the audience on their feet.

Best Score

John Murphy and David Fleming know they can't possibly top the instantly recognizable Superman theme from John Williams — and they wisely don't try. Instead, the duo treat the "Superman March" as a ringer, weaving its grand notes into the soundtrack at key moments for extra super-oomph. But their own score also stands on its own two feet, incorporating crunchy electric guitar riffs that complement Gunn's rough-and-tumble action choreography.

Best Sound

Donner's Superman was previously nominated in this category, and Gunn's version has a richly mixed superhero soundscape as well. Fantastic Four: First Steps seems set to be its only other serious comic book-based competition, while the noisy dinos from Jurassic World: Rebirth could also break through among the summer blockbusters.

Best Visual Effects

Granted, with Avatar: Fire and Ash on the way later this year, every other Visual Effects nominee is likely to be an also-ran. But with plenty of VFX eye candy — from giant kaiju creatures to teeth-rattling fistfights — Superman seems like a shoo-in to be one of the movies that gracefully loses to James Cameron's return to Pandora come 2026.