‘Superman’ Gets Powerful Reaction From Director Kevin Smith: ‘People Wanna Hope’

If you put any stock in hype surrounding upcoming movies, Superman's July 11 release could be massive. As the days go by, the clips and small reveals surfacing about the James Gunn-directed film headlined by David Corenswet have continued to generate buzz.

Corenswet, who stars as Superman alongside Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) and Nicholas Hoult (Lex Luthor), is expected to bring a unique version of the popular superhero to the big screen. It also appears to be a very different feel compared to previous films featuring the Man of Steel.

While many people have sounded off on expectations surrounding the newest Superman movie, recent comments from longtime director Kevin Smith jumped out.

Smith spoke with Deadline about Superman, and not only offered high praise, but explained a unique theory he has regarding superhero films.

(L-R) David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult promote the upcoming film "Superman" at the Warner Bros. Pictures presentation during CinemaCon.

Mindy Small/Getty Images

Among the many comments made by Smith, one that fans mentioned frequently on social media highlighted the movie feeling more like the comic books than others in the past.

“It feels more comic book-y is what it is,” Smith explained. “I mean, number one, putting his trunks on the outside again is just charming, and including the dog is not something we’ve seen over the course of the last 10 years, and I think that’s such a smart choice, man.”

However, one unique tidbit Smith revealed was a theory he puts stock in about superhero movies and how the interest in them depends on "where we are as a country."

“And there’s this theory that I didn’t come up with, it’s been around forever, where whether Batman or Superman is ascendant and dominant in the culture has everything to do with where we are as a country," Smith explained. 

"So, when times are good for Americans and prosperous, oddly enough, Batman is the dominant character because Batman is a dark fantasy about everything going wrong…And then the flip theory of that is Superman is ascendant whenever the country is doing poorly or it needs help, and that’s when that character plays strongest.

Related: Chris Evans Had a 1-Word Reaction to Learning Robert Downey Jr. Is Playing Doctor Doom

Considering his viewpoint on that theory, the longtime director told Deadline emphatically that Superman is in a prime position, because "people just wanna hope right now."

“So, it would feel like based on that, like Superman, the stage is set for that movie to make so much f---ing money,” he continued. “People wanna hope right now. People just want to believe in a f---ing thing, man.”

It's a powerful statement from Smith about the movie, and he also appreciated the clips in trailers featuring the superhero taking controversial questions from Lois Lane.

Although Superman's official release is still weeks away, the interest is snowballing rapidly, and it will be interesting to see where it stands in early July.

Related: Noteworthy Early ‘Superman’ Ticket Sales Hint at Movie's Box Office Potential