'It's Been Done Too Often': James Gunn Names 3 Overplayed Songs He Won't Use for Superman (2025)

Filmmaker and DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has not yet released the first trailer for his upcoming Superman movie, and it remains unclear what kind of music he'll be choosing to use for the film along with its promotional materials. While no songs have been confirmed at this point, Gunn can name three songs he won't be including in the film.

On the social media platform Threads, Gunn answered three different fans asking if certain songs would be included in the movie, assuring each one that they would not. When one fan said that a montage in the film set to Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" would "be everything," Gunn responded, "It's been done too often I think." When another fan asked him politely to not use "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, Gunn noted, "Don't worry." Someone else then requested Gunn similarly stay away from David Bowie's "Starman," causing the director to write back, "Also don't worry."

It's not hard to see Gunn's viewpoint on "Don't Stop Me Now." While the song is highly revered, putting it into the film wouldn't exactly be original. Just recently, the song was featured in Venom: The Last Dance, another film based on comic book characters. The song was also used for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, which has a third installment hitting theaters this month. Horror fans in particular may still associate the song closely with Shaun of the Dead, due to the way it was used in that zombie parody film.

Don't Hold Out for "Holding Out for a Hero" in Superman

"Holding Out for a Hero" was originally featured on the soundtrack for the Kevin Bacon movie Footloose in 1984. In the four decades since, it has been featured in seemingly countless movies, TV shows, and advertisements. It was even used for a trailer for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy video game and in an episode of Loki, while the DCEU film Shazam! Fury of the Gods also had it included. Notably, it was also used for last year's The Super Mario Bros. Movie as well as for an episode of the Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff series Knuckles.

Meanwhile, the 1972 song "Starman" has long been considered to be among David Bowie's best singles. Of course, it's been used quite a bit in different avenues, such as in the Disney movie Lightyear and the big-budget Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. It was even used by U.S. Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders for his campaign in 2016. Online, there has long been a popular meme that plays the "Starman" song to footage of heroic acts by real-life people caught on camera, usually accompanied by a picture of Superman. Using it for an official Superman film at this point may be a bit too on the nose.

Superman will be landing in movie theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: James Gunn on Threads

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Superman

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Superhero

Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth and justice in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.

Director

James Gunn

Release Date

July 11, 2025

Cast

David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, María Gabriela De Faría, Edi Gathegi, Nicholas Hoult, Frank Grillo, Nathan Fillion, Milly Alcock, Sara Sampaio, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Skyler Gisondo, Anthony Carrigan, Wendell Pierce, Beck Bennett, Sean Gunn

Writers

James Gunn

YouTube Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msfs4tjy2-0&pp=ygUec3VwZXJtYW4gMjAyNSBvZmZpY2lhbCB0cmFpbGVy

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Franchise(s)

DCU