Christopher McQuarrie Shares Vision for Unproduced Superman Film

Christopher McQuarrie, director of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, remains passionate about his unproduced Superman pitch. Best known for his work on the M:I series, writing The Usual Suspects in 1995, and directing Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, McQuarrie recently discussed his vision for a post-Man of Steel project, though he kept some details under wraps.

“I’ll keep it secret, but it was phenomenal. I was approached for Green Lantern, which is a tricky one. The power set is complex,” McQuarrie shared in an interview on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast.

“I found a way to make it work, and it was exciting. I focused on the hero learning to wield that power, giving it a flaw so it wasn’t just endless strength. The Green Lantern ring needs recharging—that’s not a flaw, it’s a strength. ‘You have vast power, but the battery can run dry at the worst moments.’ That solved the core Green Lantern challenge for me.”

McQuarrie added with a laugh, “The costume? That’s a whole other puzzle to solve.”

At his core, the writer-director prioritizes character-driven storytelling over spectacle.

“Here’s my approach: with any superhero, I focus on the character. Growing up, I’d have laughed at the idea of a serious Captain America or Thor. That shows you can’t be too sure,” he said during the interview.

“When you reject an idea, you’re not rejecting mine—you’re rejecting your own take on it, just like I once did. So forget the costume and focus on the character. How do you create tension and stakes? How do you make it work for Superman?”

McQuarrie revealed that Henry Cavill, DC’s Superman at the time, offered insights that shaped his vision for a Man of Steel sequel. “I saw incredible parallels between these two characters,” he told Horowitz. “It opened up possibilities for deep conflict and a story that could expand the universe in a thrilling way.”

DCEU Movie Teases That Were Never Paid Off

The director also teased the opening of his envisioned Superman film. “Picture the first five minutes like Pixar’s Up—a wordless sequence that tells the character’s story,” McQuarrie explained.

“In those five minutes, you’d understand what drives Superman, what he fears most, and why he makes the choices he does. It would’ve been grand in scale, setting up an extraordinary story in just five minutes.”

Though a superhero enthusiast, McQuarrie has yet to helm a feature in the MCU or DCU. He reportedly contributed uncredited writing to 1997’s Batman & Robin and 2000’s X-Men, showing some experience with comic book heroes. Fans can only imagine what his Superman vision might have been.

James Gunn’s rebooted DCU is taking Superman in a new direction with its July release.