As the first movie in the new DC Universe, there was already a lot of hype surrounding Superman: Legacy before today, and that only increased a couple weeks ago with the reveal that David Corenswet will play the next cinematic Man of Steel. However, today brings some particularly surprising news about the upcoming DC movie. Three well-known superheroes from DC lore have reportedly been cast for the reboot, and that includes Nathan Fillion finally being cast as Green Lantern… though not the one many of you are assuming.
This casting update comes from Vanity Fair, which shared that along with the star of ABC’s The Rookie donning the emerald ring of willpower for Superman: Legacy, Dora and the Lost City of Gold’s Isabela Merced has been cast as Hawkgirl, and The Harder They Fall’s Edi Gathegi will play Mr. Terrific. It was also noted regarding Fillion that even though he’s appearing as a Green Lantern, he won’t necessarily be the DCU's Green Lantern (more on that in a bit). Both Merced and Gathegi have prior superhero movie experience under their belt already, with the former playing an undisclosed role in the upcoming Madame Web, and the latter appearing as Darwin in X-Men: First Class.
As far as Nathan Fillion is concerned, for years, many fans have wanted to see him play Hal Jordan, the role previously played by Ryan Reynolds in 2011’s Green Lantern. While Fillion did go on to voice Hal in a handful of animated, direct-to-video DC movies, that’s not who he’ll play in Superman: Legacy. Instead, the actor has been cast as Guy Gardner, who was Hal’s first replacement for the Green Lantern Corps in the comics, and is well known for his abrasive personality, something that Fillion is quite skilled at showing off in roles.
This will be Fillion’s last collaboration with director James Gunn, having worked with him stretching all the way back to Slither, and including his brief outing as TDK in the DCEU’s The Suicide Squad, as well as most recently playing Master Carja in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, whether we’ll see more of Fillion’s Guy Gardner after Superman: Legacy is unclear. Looking over the DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, you’ll see that one of the TV shows coming to Max subscribers is Lanterns, which will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart investigating a mystery on Earth. So while it’d be easy enough to throw Guy into the mix with his Green Lantern cohorts in a supporting or cameoing capacity, there’s also the possibility that something happens in Superman: Legacy that takes him off the board, either temporarily or permanently.
As for the other two superheroes, while it’s unclear which version of Hawkgirl Isabela Merced is playing, Edi Gathegi will be playing the Michael Holt incarnation of Mr. Terrific, who was the second man to hold that mantle in the comics (following Terry Sloane) and uses various gadgets to fight crime, including his floating T-spheres. As with Fillion’s Guy Gardner, we don’t know at the moment how much we’ll see of these characters in Superman: Legacy. Regardless, their inclusions will make it even clearer to audiences that this is a world where superheroes have been around for a while rather than just starting to emerge.
Along with these castings, it’s been reported that members of The Authority will appear in Superman: Legacy ahead of their own movie, but that has yet to be officially confirmed. Rachel Brosnahan has also come aboard to play Lois Lane, and brothers Alexander and Bill Skarsgård are rumored to be in contention for the Lex Luthor role. Legacy arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025, so keep visiting CinemaBlend for more news on the reboot’s progress.
