A new Man of Steel has been crowned: David Corenswet, who you may remember from A24’s Pearl or Ryan Murphy’s The Politician has officially been cast as Clark Kent/Superman in James Gunn’s forthcoming film Superman: Legacy. And for the equally important role of Lois Lane—what’s a Superman film without great romantic banter at the Daily Planet?—The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan has landed the gig.
As if the stakes for casting a new Superman weren’t already high enough, The Flash’s underwhelming box office performance and divisive critical response means the great hope of restoring DC to glory now, somewhat fittingly, falls to its marquee hero, the Last Son of Krypton. In a June 26 report, The Hollywood Reporter provided some insight into Gunn’s casting process and the crop of young talents who made it to the final round to play Clark and Lois.
The final three pairs of actors included The Menu’s Nicholas Hoult and Brosnahan, Sex Education’s Emma Mackey and Corenswet, and Grantchester’s Tom Brittney and Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor. The trio of duos performed several scenes together on the first day of screen tests on June 17, with the men in character as Clark Kent. (Back in May, The Wrap had Jacob Elordi, Andrew Richardson, and Samara Weaving as contenders for the roles.)
The following day, the three male actors had to appear in costume as Superman, while Mackey was the only aspiring Lane who read with them—although that clearly didn’t solidify her as a lock for Lois.
Notably, Corenswet is the first American to play Supes on the big screen since Brandon Routh in 2006’s Superman Returns.
After these two key castings, Gunn will move to filling other big roles like Lex Luthor, for which both Alexander and Bill Skarsgard. Hoult, is rumored to have also read for Luthor and might still star in the film yet.
Gunn was appointed co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios along with producer Peter Safran last October. In January, he shared plans for the future of the DC Universe, including a TV show focused on The Suicide Squad’s Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), an animated series called Creature Commandoes, and another Batman film focused on Bruce Wayne and his son that will continue alongside the Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves trilogy. But he called Superman: Legacy the “true beginning of the DCU,” and it’ll be the clearest glimpse into Gunn’s vision for the embattled studio’s future.
Superman: Legacy is slated for release on July 11, 2025, and THR reported that Gunn wants to shoot at the start of 2024. The last standalone Superman film was 2013’s Man of Steel, though the character played a key role in 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and both iterations of Justice League. The news that Cavill would not return, like so many things in the DC world, was not handled cleanly, with the actor sharing in a December 2022 Instagram post that he would “not be returning as Superman” after plans for his return were announced publicly in October.
“After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that,” Cavill wrote. “James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”