'Superman: Legacy' Gains David Corenswet & Rachel Brosnahan In Lead Roles

Two significant roles have been cast for writer and director James Gunn's upcoming "Superman: Legacy" feature. As first revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, it will be David Corenswet ("Pearl," "We Own This City") in the highly coveted role of Superman, aka Clark Kent, aka Kal-El, the last son of Krypton. Portraying the role of ace Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane will be award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" fame.

Gunn is attached to write and direct the live-action reboot of DC Comics' iconic, classic superhero, who first debuted in "Action Comics" Issue #1 in 1938, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

"Superman: Legacy" will be part of the first slate of new movies and a shared multimedia universe from DC Studios under co-bosses Gunn and Peter Safran. After a lengthy casting search and process, Corenswet and Brosnahan were cast in the lead role.

Gunn reportedly filmed screen tests earlier this month with actors Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney, who were also candidates for the role of Big Blue. Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor were also in contention for the part of the famous Lois Lane.

Gunn himself commented on the news on Tuesday (June 27). He noted on the casting of Corenswet and Brosnahan, "Accurate! (They are not only both incredible actors but also wonderful people)."

https://twitter.com/JamesGunn/status/1673785892870447104

Gunn and DC Studios now look to revive their brand on the big screen after a string of recent box office failures, including "Black Adam," released last year, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," released in March, and more recently, "The Flash," which ran out of gas at the box office very quickly. Warner Bros. Pictures still has two more DC Comics features due out later this year, including "Blue Beetle" in August and "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" in December.

Corenswet replaces actor Henry Cavill as the last actor to portray Superman in live action. Cavill made his final appearance as Superman in a surprise cameo in "Black Adam" the previous year. At one point, Cavill announced that he was officially back on as Superman/Clark Kent. However, that did not pan out as Gunn and Safran had other plans on how they wanted to handle the character in their new DC Universe and film slate since they wanted to showcase a younger version of Superman. "Superman: Legacy" was later revealed as Gunn's project to relaunch the iconic DC superhero to the big screen.

Other actors portrayed Superman on the big screen in live-action features are Christopher Reeve, whose iconic performance over several parts, and Brandon Routh in Bryan Singer's 2006 film, "Superman Returns." "Superman Returns" failed to garner further follow-ups, and Routh never reprised the role. Cavill made his cinematic debut as Superman in 2013's "Man of Steel," directed by Zack Snyder. He later appeared in three more films, including the aforementioned "Black Adam," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and "Justice League."

The plan is for Gun to begin filming on the project early next year. THR notes that the casting search is now continuing for the role of iconic supervillain Lex Luthor and the heroes known as The Authority, who are expected to appear in "Legacy" before they later star in their film.

"Superman: Legacy" is scheduled for a July 11, 2025 release date.