Although Henry Cavill’s return as Superman in Black Adam was supposed to be the first of more appearances from this version of the Man of Steel, it was instead decided to hit the reboot button on this character once more. James Gunn is writing and directing Superman: Legacy, the first movie in the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, and the casting phase of the project is heating up. The upcoming DC movie has reportedly narrowed down some big names for the Clark Kent and Lois Lane roles.
According to Deadline, Gunn and Peter Safran, who run DC Studios together, are gearing up to hold in-person tests for Superman: Legacy’s leading roles around Father’s Day weekend., which follows after months of viewing audition recordings. Nicholas Hoult, David Corenswet and Tom Brittney are among the actors said to be testing for Clark, and Emma Mackey, Rachel Brosnahan and Phoebe Dynevor are on the list to try out for Lois. The article noted that while “some of the test deals are still being negotiated and haven’t all closed,” all the mentioned names are expected to audition.
While this isn’t the first time some of these actor have been said to be in contention for Superman: Legacy, (Brosnahan was even asked about the casting rumors) it’s nonetheless good to hear from that they’re still in the mix for this reboot. Of the above names, Hoult is the only one with prior comic book movie experience, having played Hank McCoy, a.k.a. Beast, in the “First Class” era X-Men movies. As for when we’ll learn who will play Clark Kent and Lois Lane in Legacy, that’s not certain. My best guess is that with San Diego Comic-Con happening in mid-July, perhaps the selected actors will be announced during the WB panel at the event. However, it’s also possible casting may take longer than expected, resulting in the public not hearing anything until the fall.
Though details are sparse regarding what we can expect from Superman: Legacy, the movie will be taking a cue from The Batman by featuring a younger actor as Clark Kent, but not depicting his origin story. In other words, this Superman has already been active for a bit and is well acquainted with characters like Lois Lane. James Gunn has also said that Legacy will explore Clark struggling to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, and the story is partially inspired by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman. Although the Creature Commandos animated series will be released to Max subscribers sometime in 2024, Gunn and Safran consider Legacy to be “the true beginning” to the DC Universe era.
Superman: Legacy will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025, and once official casting news starts rolling in, we’ll pass those updates along. Other DCU movies on the docket include The Authority, The Brave and the Bold (which Andy Muschietti is reportedly the “top choice” to direct), Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Swamp Thing, and the TV show lineup consists so far of the aforementioned Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost and Booster Gold.