There had been murmurings over the last two weeks that the announcement of the lead actors in James Gunn’s forthcoming reboot of the Superman franchise (Superman: Legacy) was imminent. Screen-tests were said to be in progress with a focus on just a handful of short-listed actors. The rumours of imminent news increased with the possibility of a strike by actors’ union SAG-AFTRA which could start as early as 30th June if negotiations with studios don’t go well. Ideally news would come before that cut-off.
The official news came Tuesday. David Corenswet has now been set to play Clark Kent and Superman with Rachel Brosnahan essaying Lois Lane. Corenswet’s career has included the likes of The Politician (2019), Netflix series Hollywood (2020) and We Own this City (2022) and though his name hadn’t been mentioned in the most recent speculation, Hellboy screenwriter Peter Briggs noted during the Hollywood promotion three years ago that ‘…the guy was basically born to play Clark Kent…‘ and the actor himself had also made no secret of liking the idea of playing Superman. His physical resemblance to Cavill (and even Smallville’s Tom Welling depending on the photograph angle) is remarkable, though Corensewt had said that, hypothetically, he’d want to play a less gritty, more classic version if he ever got the chance. Brosnahan is perhaps best known for her award-winning role as the titular The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel which ran from 2017 until this year. Her name was consistently mentioned in the rumours and she seemed like a shoe-in for the spunky reporter.
Normally this kind of news could be reserved (or at least exploited thereafter) at July’s San Diego Comic Con and its massive ‘Hall H‘ venue – infamous for the launch of major movie projects and first-look news. However this year could be problematic as the current WGA strike and the possible SAG-AFTRA strike have already led to some major studios announcing they won’t be having the major presence usually expected. Though James Gunn hasn’t confirmed things either way, many expect Warners-Discovery to follow the lead of other platforms/studios/distributors and not bring talent to the event, in solidarity (and general rules of) the unions.
The news comes after confirmation that The CW‘s Superman and Lois, a popular-enough show for the network, yet one on the bubble financially, would be returning for a fourth season but that the number of episodes was being reduced and that the size of the regular cast would also be greatly reduced in number – perhaps acting as the biggest indicator that the show won’t be renewed for a fifth run.
