Earlier this week, newly installed DC boss James Gunn announced who would playing the next versions of Superman and Lois Lane: American actors David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.
I knew Brosnahan from her work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and can easily see her play a motor-mouthed reporter at The Daily Planet. I wasn’t familiar with Corenswet, who’s appeared in Ryan Murphy dramas like The Politician and Hollywood. But apparently, he’s had his eye on this role for a while. “y pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman,” he told Entertainment Weekly back in 2019. Mission accomplished!
What’s more, he has an idea of the kind of Superman he wants to be. “I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback . I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”
James Gunn: The next Superman should be “somebody who you want to give a hug”
Henry Cavill started playing Superman starting in 2013’s Man of Steel. He also appeared in Batman v Superman and Justice League. His latest and probably final appearance as Superman came at the very end of Black Adam.
It’s true that Cavill’s take on the character was pretty grim and serious, likely because Man of Steel was directed by Zack Snyder, who is about the dark and gritty side of life. But Gunn has a sunnier cinematic philosophy, and I can imagine he and Corenswet being on the same page about lightening things up around Metropolis.
“The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has but he’s also an alien,” Gunn told Variety earlier this year. “It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.”
David Corenswet is aware that he looks like Henry Cavill
Many fans are upset that Cavill is leaving the role. Will it help those people to know that Corenswet kind of looks like a younger Cavill?
This was being pointed out to Corenswet years before he was up for the role of Superman. “It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me,” he told EW.
Corenswet will debut as Clark Kent in Superman: Legacy, which is due out in theaters in July of 2025.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels