In 2013, seven years after Brandon Routh’s sole cinematic outing as Kal-El/Clark Kent in Superman Returns (he later reprised the role during The CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover), Henry Cavill took over Superman duties for Man of Steel. The actor went on to reprise the role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, both versions of Justice League and briefly in Black Adam, and there was briefly a time where it looked like his DC run was going to continue. Instead, we’re now getting a new Superman for, well, Superman (it was originally titled Superman: Legacy), one of several upcoming DC movies that’s officially part of the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, which is titled Gods and Monsters.
So who will play the new Superman? Well, that decision has finally been reached, and there are various other details that have been shared about this new version of the character and actors who are reportedly up for the role. So without further ado, let’s talk about who was chosen to bring the Man of Steel to life on the silver screen for this new era.
Who’s Playing The New Superman
It was announced on June 27, 2023 that David Corenswet will play the DC Universe’s Superman. He’ll be accompanied by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan, who was the perfect choice to play Lois Lane. Both actors went through “full costume and makeup” screen tests, and after the news was unveiled to the public, DC Studios co-head James Gunn said they are “not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people.” While we haven't gotten a full look at Corenswet in his Superman suit, the 'S' insignia on the costume was revealed on February 29, 2024, and it looks a lot like the insignia Supes wore in the Kingdom Come limited series, albeit with a yellow background instead of black.
Where David Corenswet Has Appeared Before
Although Superman will be David Corenswet’s biggest project yet, he’s by no means a stranger to the big and small screens. Film-wise, horror fans might remember him as The Projectionist from Pearl, the prequel to X, and he’s also set to star in Twisters and The Greatest Hits. However, some of you might be familiar with Corenswet from TV, as he guest-starred on shows like Elementary and House of Cards, appeared in multiple episodes of The Politician and We Own This City, and led and executive produced the 2020 miniseries Hollywood. Corenswet also has a 1960-set miniseries coming up called Lady in the Lake, which will be accessible to Apple TV+ subscribers.
Henry Cavill's Departure And The Announcement Of A New Superman
Although the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League in early 2021 allowed the public to see the original Justice League scenes Henry Cavill’s shot under the title filmmaker's direction, the fact of the matter is prior to Black Adam, the actor hadn’t put on the costume in more than half a decade. It was unclear if we’d ever see him back in the role, but after Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero character was done fighting the Justice Society and Sabbac, he came face to face with Cavill’s Superman in the Black Adam mid-credits scene. For years, Johnson teased that there would come a day when these two characters would fight on the big screen, and this scene set the stage for such a conflict.
After Black Adam’s release, Cavill shared on social media that his appearance in the DC movie was “just a very small taste of things to come,” and he said elsewhere that his Superman had a “bright future” ahead of him. However, just two months later, it was announced that Cavill wouldn’t keep playing Superman after all. Instead, the character would once again be rebooted, with this decision coming a little over a month after James Gunn and Peter Safran started running DC Studios. Maybe there will come a day when Cavill’s Superman will return in some multiversal adventure like Michael Keaton did in The Flash, but for now, we have another cinematic Superman on the way.
When This New Superman Will Debut
As mentioned earlier, this new Superman will debut in his own movie. This won’t be the first DC Universe project to arrive, as the animated Creature Commandos series premieres on Max sometime in 2024, and there will also be some holdodver DCEU performers, like John Cena as Peacemaker, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Xolo Maridueña as Blue Beetle. Nevertheless, James Gunn and Peter Safran have said that Superman marks the “true beginning” of the DCU, so once the new guy wearing the red cape flies across the screen, then the ball will really get rolling.
Superman is currently dated for July 11, 2025, and fortunately, the SAG-AFTRA strike did not disrupt those plans. James Gunn revealed on February 29, 2024 that principal photography had begun.
What’s Been Said So Far About This New Superman
Though specific plot details for Superman: Legacy are being kept under wraps, we do know that the story is partially inspired by All-Star Superman More importantly, though, this new version of Superman looks to be taking a page from The Batman’s book, because just like with our first meeting with Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne, we will not see this Clark Kent’s origin story unfold.
Instead, although the new Superman will be younger than Henry Cavill’s version, he’ll already have been active in protecting the innocent for a little while now. This also means he’ll already be acquainted with characters like Lois Lane, although with his fellow Daily Planet reporter, it remains to be seen how close they are with one another.
Superman's cast will also include superheroes like Green Lantern (the Guy Gardner version), Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho, and there are even rumblings of Milly Alcock's Supergirl appearing this movie ahead of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The lineup of villains include Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and María Gabriela De Faría's The Engineer, who's said to be part of a team of villains that may end up being The Authority.
Actors Who Were Rumored To Play The New Superman
Once it was announced that Superman was in the works, naturally fans immediately started speculating on who could take over as the new Superman. But as far as actors being rumored/reported, among the earliest was Logan Lerman, but in late March, Gunn debunked the claim that the Perks of Being a Wall Flower actor was his “top choice,” saying that he hadn’t had a “single talk with a single actor.” There was a brief period where Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi was allegedly being looked at for the role, but that was soon said to be false.
Then at the top of June, Variety said that The Bold and the Beautiful’s Pierson Fodé “could be in the running for the coveted role,” as he’d sent in a self tape, and Gunn “liked what he saw.” Finally, prior to David Corenswet being officially announced as the new Superman, it was reported that the actors on deck for in-person testing included him, Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney, while Emma Mackey, Rachel Brosnahan and Phoebe Dynevor were trying out for Lois Lane. In the end, Corenswet and Brosnahan were selected as Legacy’s two leading actors, but as already mentioned, Hoult is still lined up to participate in Superman by playing Lex Luthor.
So the question of who will play the next Superman has finally been answered, but there are still plenty of mysteries surrounding Superman. CinemaBlend will continue passing along updates on the movie’s progress and what we can expect from it come summer 2025, but for now, revisit past depictions of Superman on film and television using your Max subscription.
