DC Comics's Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception.^[1] He debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941, subsequently starring in two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After numerous scripts and years in development, Richard Donner was hired as their director, filming Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) simultaneously. Donner had already shot eighty percent of Superman II with Christopher Reeve before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester also returned for Superman III (1983), and the Salkinds further produced the related 1984 spin-off Supergirl before selling the rights to Cannon Films, resulting in the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993.

Over the course of 11 years, Warner Bros. would develop and then cancel Tim Burton's Superman Lives, which would have starred Nicolas Cage; Wolfgang Petersen's Batman vs. Superman; and the J. J. Abrams scripted Superman: Flyby, which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. The studio hired Bryan Singer to take over the films in 2004, releasing Superman Returns in 2006, which starred newcomer Brandon Routh. Donner's director's cut for Superman II was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of Superman Returns, and canceled Singer's proposed sequel which would have been released in 2009. The studio nearly went into production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D. J. Cotrona as Superman for a 2009 release, but it was shelved last minute in 2008.

The film series was rebooted in 2013 with Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. Man of Steel also launched what became known as the DC Extended Universe, a cinematic franchise intended to rival the highly-successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cavill has since then appeared as Superman in the DCEU films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017), both again directed by Snyder, as well as the director's cut of Justice League, Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021), before making a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam (2022). The Flash (2023) had Superman cameos portrayed by Cavill, Nicolas Cage, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve. Sasha Calle along with Helen Slater, appeared as Supergirl in the film.

A new film starring the character titled Superman: Legacy is currently in development for a scheduled release in July 2025, written and directed by James Gunn and co-produced by himself and Peter Safran, as the first film installment of the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise and shared universe. David Corenswet has been cast as Superman for the film.

List of films

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Direct-to-video, cameos, and others

• 1954: Stamp Day for Superman — a short film produced for the U.S. Treasury to promote "Stamp Day", featuring George Reeves as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane.
• 1992: Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation – direct-to-video, featuring Maurice LaMarche as Superman.
• 2006: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut — the director's cut of Superman II, featuring around 80% new footage originally shot by director Richard Donner, including material featuring Marlon Brando.
• 2006: Superman: Brainiac Attacks — direct-to-video film utilizing character designs from Superman: The Animated Series; starring Tim Daly and Dana Delany.
• 2017: DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon — animated film in which Superman is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.^[4]
• 2018: Teen Titans Go! To the Movies — animated film in which Superman is voiced by Nicolas Cage.
• 2019: Shazam! — part of the DC Extended Universe in which Superman cameos, portrayed using Ryan Hadley as a stand-in for Henry Cavill.
• 2022: DC League of Super-Pets — animated film in which Superman is voiced by John Krasinski.
• 2022: Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons – direct-to-video film in which Superman is voiced by Travis Willingham.
• 2022: Black Adam — part of the DC Extended Universe in which Superman cameos, played by Henry Cavill.
• 2023: The Flash — Superman cameos are portrayed by Henry Cavill, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Reeve and George Reeves. Sasha Calle appears as Supergirl along with a cameo by Helen Slater.

Lego DC Comics films

• 2013: Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite — Superman is voiced by Travis Willingham.
• 2014: The Lego Movie — Superman appears brieftly, voiced by Channing Tatum.
• 2014: Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Batman Be-Leaguered — TV special featuring Nolan North as Superman.
• 2015: Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League — direct-to-video with Superman voiced by Nolan North.
• 2015: Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom — direct-to-video with Nolan North reprising his role as Superman.
• 2016: Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash – direct-to-video with Nolan North reprising his role.
• 2017: The Lego Batman Movie — animated film featuring Superman with Channing Tatum reprising his role.
• 2019: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part — animated film featuring Superman with Channing Tatum reprising his role.

Unofficial adaptations and parodies

• 1960: Return of Mr. Superman — Indian Hindi-language retelling of Superman, with the title role played by Paidi Jairaj.
• 1979: The Return of Superman (Turkish: Süpermen Dönüyor; also known as "Turkish Superman") — a Turkish adaptation directed by Kunt Tulgar and starring Tayfun Demir as Superman.^[5][6]
• 1980: Superman — Indian Telugu-language film starring N. T. Rama Rao as Superman.^[7]
• 1987: Superman — Indian Hindi-language film with Puneet Issar as Superman.^[7]
• 2012: The Death and Return of Superman — short film released on YouTube by writer Max Landis.

Animated Original Movies universe

The DC Universe Animated Original Movies is a direct-to-video animated film series that often features Superman in a leading or supporting role.

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