James Gunn definitely knows what Superman looks like: He looks like all the other Supermen. The next actor to step into the stretchy costume is officially David Corenswet (We Own This City, Pearl), who shares the solid jaw and wide-set eyes of many of his predecessors.
Somewhat more intriguingly, Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is our next Lois Lane.
Gunn’s picks for the roles were, unsurprisingly, closely watched. Last week, Deadline reported that the director’s choices had been narrowed down to three actors expected to screen test for each role: Nicholas Hoult, David Corenswet, and Tom Brittney for the Man of Steel, and Emma Mackey, Rachel Brosnahan, and Phoebe Dynevor for Lois.
Hoult would have been an interesting choice, but it’s nice to see somewhere relatively unknown in the star-making role. Corenswet has been in single episodes of Elementary, House of Cards, and other series, and appeared in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician and Hollywood (in which he played a lead).
Brosnahan is certainly best known for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (pictured above), but has also had roles on House of Cards, The Blacklist, and series from Gossip Girl to Grey’s Anatomy. Both she and Corenswet are facing a whole new level of visibility with something as popular (and big-budget) as Gunn’s take on Superman is likely to be.
Superman: Legacy is set to release on July 11, 2025, and will be the first film fully produced under the DC Studios reign of Gunn and Peter Safran. Gunn wrote the film and is directing, though it’s unclear when production will begin as Hollywood’s writers are on strike, and a SAG-AFTRA strike may begin at the end of the month.
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