There’s a new Kryptonian in town, and he’s played by David Corenswet. He’s bringing the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with him, as James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed to Variety that they’ve cast Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The pairing will debut on July 11, 2025 in Gunn’s film Superman: Legacy. It’s been a top secret casting process, though both names had been leaked as being in the running. Also considered was Nicolas Hoult, who may still be up for Lex Luthor. If indeed the semi-origin film includes Lex.
10 years younger than the previous cinematic Superman Henry Cavill, Corenswet fits Gunn’s stated goal of a somewhat younger actor to explore the first year in Metropolis. Superman: Legacy allegedly focuses on Clark Kent establishing himself as a reporter at the Daily Planet and building a relationship of some sort with Lois Lane. Part of the new DC Studios’ continuity, the film may pick up characters from the animated Creature Commandoes and introduce members of the less boy scout-ish Authority. It’s complicated.
You may know Corenswet from a breakout role in Netflix’s Ryan Murphy series Hollywood and as the projectionist in last year’s Ti West film Pearl. He can definitely give off Kansas farmboy energy, and looks a bit like both Cavill and Smallville’s Tom Welling. As for Brosnahan, it’s not unfair to say there’s a brassiness in her role as Midge Maisel that fits Lois Lane. If that’s the take on Lois that Gunn wants.
This echoes the casting scheme from Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, presenting actors who can spend years in service to the franchise. (No word on actual contractual terms.) It didn’t work out so well for Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth, through no fault of their own. Bosworth, however, was almost too young. Corenswet and Brosnahan will be just right.
Can they stand up for Truth, Justice, and the American Way? We’ll see in 2025 when Superman: Legacy lands in theaters. Written and directed by Gunn, the film will be produced by Safran, who also has a hand in the Aquaman franchise. It’s unlikely we’d see Superman appear in November’s Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but there’s a strong implication at the end of The Flash that Jason Momoa will continue into the new era. August’s Blue Beetle has already been called the first film of the new universe, though it was produced by the previous regime.
Hey, comics fans have experienced this for decades. Every time there’s a universe-shattering event that resets everything, it’s still confusing as the powers that be try not to throw out the superbaby with the Atlantean bathwater…
