Although there was a brief period in time when it looked like we’d be seeing more of Henry Cavil’s Superman following his cameo in Black Adam, by December 2022, it was revealed this wasn’t the case at all. Instead, DC Comics’ Man of Steel is being rebooted again as part of the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, which was revealed in January 2023. Once known as Superman: Legacy, this movie is now simply called Superman. Although it won’t be the first DC Universe project, with that honor belonging to the Creature Commandos animated series being released to Max subscribers, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have said they consider Legacy to be the “true beginning” of this shared continuity.
Speaking of Gunn, along with writing the script, he’s also directing Superman, making this his third time directly helming a DC project, following The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker. While the specific plot is being kept under wraps, along with a handful of story details being shared, we’ve also been learning who will comprise the main cast. So let’s go over which actors have boarded Superman, starting with the man taking over as The Last Son of Krypton.
David Corenswet
After actors like Pierson Fodé, Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney were said to be in the running for the role, David Corenswet was ultimately selected to play the new Superman. Needless to say this will be Corenswet’s biggest film appearance yet, with his prior credits in that area including Affairs of State, The Sunlit Night, Look Both Ways and Pearl, as well as upcoming offerings like Twisters and The Greatest Hits. He’s also built a solid TV resume, appearing in The Politician, Hollywood, We Own This City and the upcoming Lady in the Lake.
Although Corenswet’s Superman is younger than Henry Cavill’s, the new Superman movie will take a cue from The Batman by introducing him as an established superhero and forgo showing any aspects of his origin story. On February 29, 2024, we got the first look at the 'S' insignia on Corenswet's Superman suit, and that was followed by the full look at his costume in May.
Rachel Brosnahan
Rachel Brosnahan’s casting in Superman was announced at the same time as David Corenswet’s, and if you’re like our own Riley Utley, you agree that she’s the perfect choice to play Lois Lane. Brosnahan is best known for playing Midge Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, though before that, she caught attention for her roles on House of Cards and Manhattan, among other shows. Film-wise, she’s appeared in The Finest Hours, Patriots Day, Spies in Disguise and The Courier, to name a few.
When we meet Brosnahan’s Lois in Legacy, she and Clark Kent already know each other, although it’s unclear if their relationship is purely professional or if they’ve moved to building a more personal dynamic.
Nathan Fillion
Not only has David Corenswet’s Superman been protecting people for a while when we meet him in Superman, he’s one of many superheroes already active in the DC Universe. The first we’ll bring up is Green Lantern, who will be played by Nathan Fillion. However, rather than playing Hal Jordan, whom he’s been fan-cast as for years and voiced in numerous animated DC movies, the star of ABC’s The Rookie will instead play Guy Gardner, who has a more arrogant and abrasive personality.
It’s also important to mention that while Guy is not expected to be one of the leads in the Lanterns Max series, James Gunn said Fillion will play the character "in all parts of the DCU," indicating this won't be his sole appearance. This is the latest of Fillion’s collaborations with Gunn, and the second time he’s appearing in one of his DC movies, having previously played TDK in The Suicide Squad.
Isabela Merced
Isabela Merced has appeared in many major Hollywood productions over the last decade, including Transformers: The Last Knight, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, the 2022 Father of the Bride remake and Rosaline. Well, along with leading the next Alien movie and having made her first foray into the superhero genre with Madame Web, Merced will also lend her talents to Superman as Hawkgirl. It’s unclear if this Hawkgirl will be the Shiera Sanders Hall, Shayera Holt or Kendra Saunders version.
Edi Gathegi
You may remember Edi Gathegi from X-Men: First Class for playing Darwin, the mutant with the ability of reactive evolution, i.e. being able to survive practically anything… who was then promptly killed by Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw. Others might know Gathegi better from projects like three of the Twilight movies, The Harder They Fall, House, The Blacklist and For All Mankind.
For Superman, he’ll be playing the Michael Holt incarnation of Mr. Terrific, who’s been described in the comics as the third-smartest person in the world and fights crime using technology like his T-Spheres and T-Mask. Gathegi's also gotten quite jacked for the role, so we can likely expect to see him throw a few punches.
Anthony Carrigan
Anthony Carrigan is no stranger to DC Comics lore, having first appeared in two episodes of The Flash as Kyle Nimbus, a.k.a. The Mist, and then recurred as Victor Zsasz on Gotham. There’s no question, though, that Superman is the biggest of the bunch, as he’ll appear in the reboot as Metamorpho. Unlike Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, this will be Metamorpho’s first time being depicted in live-action. These days, Carrigan is best known for his Emmy-nominated role as NoHo Hank in Barry, and he’s also starred in movies like Bill & Ted: Face the Music and Fatherhood.
María Gabriela De Faría
Best known for playing Maria Salazar in the short-lived Syfy series Deadly Class, María Gabriela de Faría is stepping back into the comic book media space to play Angela Spica, a.k.a. The Engineer, in Superman. De Faría’s character is said to be part of a team of villains in Superman, and Angela started out in the comics as a member of The Authority, who have their own movie slated for the DC Universe franchise.
So perhaps this new Superman movie will show Clark Kent clashing with The Authority over ideological differences, and then the team will be depicted more sympathetically when the time comes for them to lead their own story.
Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult was reportedly among the final contenders to play Superman in this new movie, and while David Corenswet ended up scoring the role, Hoult will still get to participate in Superman. It was reported in November 2023 that James Gunn selected the actor to play Lex Luthor, and by the following month, the filmmaker confirmed that Hoult would indeed play the Man of Steel’s chrome-domed arch-nemesis.
This will be Nicholas Hoult's second major superhero movie role, as he previously played Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, in the “First Class”-era X-Men movies. He also has history with Warner Bros. from having starred in Mad Max: Fury Road with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Gunn debuted Hoult's bald head for his time as Lex Luthor in late February 2024, and now we wait to see how he'll look fully in character.
Skyler Gisondo
Jimmy Olsen is one of the few people who’s important to both Superman’s superhero and civilian life, as he not only works alongside Clark Kent as The Daily Planet’s photographer, he’s also affectionately nicknamed Superman’s Pal. It’d be weird to have a new Superman movie without Jimmy being involved, so fortunately, we don’t have to worry about that. Skyler Gisondo from The Righteous Gemstones, Santa Clarita Diet, Fairfax and more has been cast as Superman's Jimmy, although it’s unclear if this version of the character will be aware that Clark and Supes are one and the same.
Sara Sampaio
Although she’s mainly known for her Victoria’s Secret work, model Sara Sampaio does have some acting experience under her belt, which includes appearing in an episode of Billions. Needless to say that Superman marks her biggest platform to perform on yet, and she’ll do so as Eve Tesmacher, who’s usually depicted as Lex Luthor’s assistant/moll. Sampaio is the second actress to play Miss Tesmacher on film, following Valerie Perrine in the first two Christopher Reeve-led Superman movies, and Andrea Brooks played her in the Supergirl TV show.
Terence Rosemore
Lex Luthor will also be joined in whatever scheme he has cooking during Superman: Legacy by Otis, the henchman whom Ned Beatty originated in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies, and was later played on TV by Malcolm Stewart in Smallville, Robert Baker in Supergirl and Ryan Booth in Superman & Lois. James Gunn sneakily revealed on Instagram that Terence Rosemore is bringing the character to life this time around; the two have previously worked together on The Suicide Squad, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. You may also recognize Rosemore from projects like Just Mercy, Outer Banks, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and Haunted Mansion.
Wendell Pierce
Since we're getting Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen working at The Daily Planet, then naturally their boss was going to have to come along for this ride. Wendell Pierce has been cast to play Perry White, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, in Superman. Along with having starred with John Krasinski in Jack Ryan, Pierce is known from shows like The Wire, Suits and The Odd Couple, as well as movies like Malcolm X, Ray, Selma and Clemency.
Pruitt Taylor Vince
Per The Wrap, Pruitt Taylor Vince will play Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adoptive father, in Superman. This will be Vince’s second time appearing in a DC Comics movie, the first being 2005’s Constantine, and fourth comic book project overall, as he previously recurred in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Walking Dead. Furthermore, he got to play around in a world filled with superpowers through 2015’s Heroes Reborn, but his more recent credits include Bird Box, Stranger Things and The Blacklist.
Neva Howell
One day after Pruitt Taylor Vince’s casting was reported, The Wrap then shared that Neva Howell has been cast as Martha Kent, Jonathan’s wife and Clark’s adoptive mother. Howell’s body of work includes Beckinfield, Mercy Street, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Logan Lucky and The Originals.
Saturday Night Live alum Beck Bennett was confirmed to be appearing in Superman by THR and other outlets after a photo surfaced of him with other members of the cast and crew. James Gunn confirmed on Instagram that Bennett is playing Steve Lombard, a sports reporter for The Daily Planet.
Mikaela Hoover
Mikaela Hoover already has experience being directed by James Gunn, as she played The Collector’s assistant in Guardians of the Galaxy, voiced Floor the Rabbit in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and played a character named Camila in The Suicide Squad. For Superman, she’ll play Cat Grant, another Daily Planet reporter who started out as a gossip columnist in the comics, so presumably that’ll be her position in the movie too.
Christopher McDonald
No, the guy who played Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore and Goose McKenzie in Grease 2 is not joining Superman. This Christopher McDonald is a newcomer, so evidently James Gunn and his casting team saw something special in him to set this as his cinematic debut. McDonald will play Ron Troupe, another reporter at The Daily Planet who becomes romantically involved with Lois’ sister Lucy in the comics.
Frank Grillo
In June 2024, it was revealed that Creature Commandos characters will appear in Superman, and thanks to leaked set photos and a statement from Frank Grillo on Instagram, Rick Flag Sr. is the first of this bunch to be confirmed. This will be Flag's first live-action DCU appearance, and Grillo is also reprising the character for Peacemaker Season 2. Judging by these early looks, without going into detailed spoilers, it doesn't look like Flag and Superman will be on the same side, though that doesn't necessarily make him an outright villain.
Superman is positioned on the upcoming DC movies schedule for a July 11, 2025 release, so periodically check back here to see what other actors have been added to the cast.
