Soon, the world will meet a new Clark Kent in Superman. (Formerly titled Superman: Legacy). DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are rebooting the most famous superhero in the world as they transition the franchise from the DCEU to the DCU. Who will play the Man of Steel on the big screen this time around? What kind of story will we see him in? And who will bring it to life? We’re keeping track of all these answers and more.
Recently, James Gunn took to Threads to reveal Superman‘s runtime, he shared—“Inclusive of credits/post credits, the runtime is 2 hours and 9 minutes.” That seems like a good amount of time for Superman to take flight. But this relatively tight runtime has nothing to do with studio pressure. When asked if there was any truth to the fact that Warner Bros. tried to make Gunn cut down the runtime of the movie and forced him to shorten, Gunn replied, “Zero truth to that. And they couldn’t even if that’s something that they wanted to. It’s a DC Studios film.”
Bam! Honestly, James Gunn does not seem like someone who would easily be pushed around. But we’re glad to hear there was no interference in Superman‘s runtime.
In other Superman news, we also really dig this iconic image of Clark Kent getting ready to quick change and get into action, which is such an iconic moment for this hero.
Here’s everything we know about Superman so far.
Title
The DCU’s first official movie (though not its first official release) is now titled simply Superman. Of course, the movie began its life as Superman: Legacy. It will kick off the film side of what James Gunn has called the franchise’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters.” He has also called this movie “the true beginning” of the DCU.
Superman‘s Plot
While the film still has no official synopsis, Warner Bros. did provide a description of what we can expect from the story, which James Gunn says is not an origin tale.
Superman tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.
Gunn announced the film with art from the cover of All-Star Superman by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely. Whether or not that means the story is influenced, inspired by, or adapted from the 12-issue comic series in any way is unclear. What Gunn has said is the movie will focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” where he is still old enough to already be working for the Daily Planet.
Recently, James Gunn gave us a new look at one of Superman‘s villains, Engineer. In the DCU, Engineer is played by María Gabriela de Faría. We don’t know too much about her role yet, but we know she is “sinister perfection.”
We also have our first look at David Corenswet as the DCU’s Superman.
We also have our first look at Nicholas Hoult’s Lux Luthor. The menacing villain looks to be in fine form as he scowls around our first glimpse of the Superman movie. Check him out above in all his in all his glory, and you can then take a look at the character in action in the trailer itself. (We break it down here)
Superman‘s Cast
David Corenswet will play Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane.
In addition, four more actors have joined the cast of Superman. Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will play Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play Green Lantern Guy Gardner, and Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho. María Gabriela de Faría will play the villain The Engineer in the movie. Also known as Angela Spica, the character has nanotechnology built into her body. Additionally, Sara Sampaio will play Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo will play Jimmy Olsen, and Wendell Pierce will play The Daily Planet boss Perry White. Saturday Night Live‘s Beck Bennett will play The Daily Planet‘s sports journalist Steve Lombard. James Gunn has also confirmed that Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor.
James Gunn recently confirmed that one exciting canine character would join the world of the DCU’s Superman this summer. Gunn shared that Krypto the Superdog would be a fixture of the movie and that he would be a pup who is a “not-so-good-good-boy” inspired by Gunn’s own real-life dog, Ozu.
In full, Gunn notes:
Krypto arrives on screens in Superman this summer. Krypto was inspired by our dog Ozu, who we adopted shortly after I started writing Superman. Ozu, who came from a hoarding situation in a backyard with 60 other dogs & never knew human beings, was problematic to say the least. He immediately came in & destroyed our home, our shoes, our furniture – he even ate my laptop. It took a long time before he would even let us touch him. I remember thinking, “Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?” – and thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life. What better time to debut the not-so-good-good-boy Krypto than #AdoptAShelterDog month. Btw, Ozu today, is, fairly often, a very good boy. #Superman
Gunn also recently confirmed the casting of Ma and Pa Kent on Threads. Pruitt Taylor Vince (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will play Jonathan Kent, a.k.a. Pa Kent. Meanwhile, Neva Howell will play Martha Kent.
Behind the Scenes
James Gunn wrote the (definitely completed) script and is directing.
Recently, James Gunn hopped on social media to share a behind the scenes look at him with actor Skyler Gisondo, who will portray Superman’s best pal Jimmy Olsen. Gunn says Gisondo is “gonna knock you out of your socks” with this role.
Superman‘s Release Date
Superman will soar into theaters faster than a speeding bullet on July 11, 2025.
Originally published on April 11, 2023.