After months of trepidation, bated breath, and online tribulations over Henry Cavill’s departure as Man of Steel, James Gunn’s new era of DCU has found its Superman in David Corenswet. The Netflix breakout star was in the race to don the cape with seasoned X-Men star Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney to become the Big Blue Boy Scout in a troubled franchise plagued with reboots and controversies. Joining him as the plucky journalist from Daily Planet will be The Marvelous Ms. Marvel heartthrob, Rachel Brosnahan, officially succeeding Amy Adams’ short-lived stint as Lois Lane, after beating Sex Education star Emma Mackey and Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor.
Despite being the leading contender for the role, Corenswet faced a significant threat to his most iconic role so far from Nicholas Hoult. Considering Hoult’s previous stint as a superhero in Fox’s X-Men movies, the actor was tapped to bag the role with his experience. Interestingly, the Mad Max: Fury Road actor had previously lost the role of Batman to Robert Pattinson. However, being the face of avant-garde new-gen filmmakers, it’s no surprise to see James Gunn put his faith in the new actor as DCU’s greatest-ever superhero to exist.
The Road to Superman: Legacy and Henry Cavill’s Departure
Back in October the fate of the then-DC Extended Universe rested heavily on Dwayne Johnson‘s Black Adam as the wrestler-turned-actor wanted to change the hierarchy with his own personal brand of quirky one-liners and massive persona. However, the box-office disappointment of Black Adam ($393.3M) quickly turned the tide against the WWE Star, and Henry Cavill, who had returned for a short cameo. Weeks after Cavill’s official confirmation to continue as the Man of Steel, WB had a paradigm shift by appointing James Gunn and Peter Safran to oversee the stumbling DC Universe. As a result, fans of Henry Cavill, and Zack Snyder in extension, faced a major upset after Gunn’s decision to entirely reboot the Snyderverse for a new, younger, franchise that also bid farewell to Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader.
While James Gunn had his own share of community to battle every single day, the former Marvel director also had his own legion of loyalists who put their trust to steer the ship in the right direction. And now, after months of an uphill battle, debunking, and fact-checking, the Guardians of the Galaxy director has made the decision to reunite David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, who interestingly starred together in Netflix’s House of Cards.
Accurate! (They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people). https://t.co/1FtwYIDeYj
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 27, 2023
When Will Superman: Legacy Release?
After James Gunn’s appointment as DCU’s head, the Guardians director confirmed that he has been writing the story for Superman: Legacy for months. As the dust settled over an understandably confusing franchise, The Suicide Squad director also made it official that he would be in fact, directing the movie himself, which will mark DCU’s biggest entry to the big screen, barring Cobra Kai star Xolo Mariduena’s largely unknown upcoming Blue Beetle.
According to Gunn, the movie is set to release on July 11, 2025. While the story is being kept under tight wraps, the director has confirmed that David Corenswet’s Superman: Legacy will introduce The Authority to the silver screen for the first time. Though it’s yet unknown in what capacity the darker, more violent version of the Justice League will appear in the movie, expectations are soaring among long-time comic book fans.
Superman: Legacy Cast Details – The Death of Snyderverse
Before David Corenswet’s official announcement as Clark Kent/Superman, a lot of attention was also on the successors of Zack Snyder’s DC characters. From Lex Luthor to Batman, the casting process has been dissected, criticized, and even slammed throughout the internet. While James Gunn has confirmed Superman and Lois Lane for now, the casting process for Man of Steel’s arch-nemesis is still underway. If sources are to be trusted, the leading contenders for the role are Bill and Alexander Skarsgard. Fresh from John Wick 4 performance, the younger Skarsgard brother has also been the fan-favorite to play Joker after his terrifying acting chops in IT as the nightmarish Pennywise.
After Corenswet’s appointment as the flagbearer of James Gunn’s DCU, it is only a matter of time before the Dark Knight casting gets finalized. While Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is the leading fan-favorite for the role, nothing so far has been confirmed to officially succeed Ben Affleck in the role. While it’s still not confirmed if WB will make its presence felt at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con, the casting will surely keep fans satiated for now.
Superman: Legacy is slated to release on July 11, 2025, exclusively in theaters.
