To be or not to be has been the reigning theme of Henry Cavill’s arc at DC, both within it as Superman and outside of it as an actor. But now that he is gone, a new face haunts the fandom’s collective consciousness: Wolfgang Novogratz. The young actor first came to widespread attention when James Gunn announced his plans for a new Superman film with the hero only starting out as a reporter at The Daily Planet and navigating the initial few years of his identity as Superman at Metropolis.
The buzz that the reboot synopsis created then meant only one thing: the film had no place for SnyderVerse Superman. This theory was further solidified when Gunn claimed he was on the lookout for someone who was in their late 20s to early 30s. Novogratz fit the bill to the T. And the fans only fanned the flames by publicly asking James Gunn to take note of the emerging actor.
Fans Call For Wolfgang Novogratz as DCU’s New Superman
Among the widespread changes and shifts in DC’s management, nothing has come close to matching the level of mass disappointment suffered by the fans when Henry Cavill announced his definitive exit from the franchise less than two months after announcing his return. The rollercoaster saga that is contained within the two statements: “I am back as Superman” and “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman” is unquantifiable in itself. But with time and a bit of inspiration from James Gunn, the fans have found a new cause to rally behind.
Superman: Legacy needs a new actor at the helm and the fans have already begun casting their overarching net into the open water. After Cavill’s unceremonious exit, the task of finding a worthy replacement is perhaps the only thing holding the fandom together. And given Gunn’s young Superman criteria, Wolfgang Novogratz (among other choices) has been the most highly favored candidate for the role of Clark Kent.
Weird, despite recent insistence that it’s not casting, there’s a casting breakdown going out to all talent agencies etc for #SupermanLegacy 😉
Clark, Lois & Jimmy
Early 20s, open to all ethnicities #DC #DCStudios
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) March 22, 2023
Yeah I could totally see Wolfgang Novogratz as a young Superman. pic.twitter.com/vGDOIY7slJ
— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) January 5, 2023
I’m bored so lets do a DCU fancast starting of with
Wolfgang Novogratz as Clark Kent/Superman pic.twitter.com/9otkydNQtn
— َ (@Ludvigxx) March 19, 2023
Superman: Legacy Fan-Made Video of Wolfgang Novogratz as Superman Got Me Hyped. I Hope He’s At Least In The Conversation. #DCU #Superman pic.twitter.com/XrAQuhYjva
— TheTruth"Intro King"31 (@Truth31The) March 23, 2023
My DCU Fancastings- THREAD
Wolfgang Novogratz as Superman- I was not familiar with this actor until I saw other fan casts and I do see the vision! He seems like he has that farm boy charm and I do believe James Gunn is going to skew younger with most of his castings. pic.twitter.com/SedYE726WD
— Brooks (@brookstweetz) February 18, 2023
@JamesGunn You must choose Wolfgang Novogratz as the new superman. 💯 pic.twitter.com/URKTYkgJCZ
— Baltazar Lopez (@BaltazarCrack) March 11, 2023
Even though Wolfgang Novogratz is now taking the lead, other candidates that are high on the favoritism chart are included Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi and David Corenswet (The Politician). As of now, the JJ Abrams project is the only one that is set to witness a Black Superman in the leading role and if the reports of the casting call being open to all ethnicities turn out to be a legitimate one, the roster will be highly interesting who’s who of favorable candidates.
DC Needs a Change of Pace to Survive the Future
DC has undergone a tumultuous wave of change and reorganization in the past couple of years. The fandom has hardly been able to get a moment’s rest under the constantly surmounting worry about the franchise’s future and its indelible past. Without the SnyderVerse, the fans could not see a direction for DC and with it, they were stuck in a limbo they could not move out of.
A fresh start is what the franchise needs currently and although David Zaslav’s vision was difficult to comprehend at first in the blurry haze of nostalgia and grief over the lost SnyderVerse, what James Gunn has presented for DCU in the form of ‘Chapter One: Gods and Monsters’ is a step forward after years of being stuck in an endless loop.
The total reboot and reshaping of the DC cinematic universe on a newly-minted foundation are exactly what the franchise needs to survive, especially as the market becomes increasingly saturated with competition from juggernauts like Marvel and Lucasfilm, in both sectors of film and television. The 3-5 year plan that Gunn has currently laid out for DC will not only structure and mold the coming decade of the CBM cinematic universe but also reshape the entire DC canon because of Gunn’s unilateral approach to the franchise’s film, television, animation, gaming, and comics.
Superman: Legacy premieres on July 11, 2025.
Source: Twitter | Grace Randolph
