The duo will star as Clark Kent and Lois Lane in James Gunn’s film.

James Gunn has found his Superman and Lois Lane.

After a lengthy search, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will star in Superman: Legacy, the film that will launch DC’s new universe under writer-director Gunn and his DC Studios co-boss, Peter Safran.

Corenswet and Brosnahan were among six actors who vied for the lead roles, with Gunn filming screen tests over the June 17 weekend with Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney also in contention to play Superman/Clark Kent and Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor in the running for Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane.

Few roles are as coveted — or come with as much pressure — as Superman. That’s doubly true in the current landscape, as Corenswet will anchor a new universe as DC attempts to reinvent itself after a streak of misses with October’s Black Adam, March’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods and the recent The Flash. Only three actors have played the character on the big screen, with Christopher Reeve’s career-defining work in 1978’s Superman launching the modern superhero genre and spawning three sequels. Brandon Routh starred in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns (2006), a film that failed to ignite the box office and resulted in him being a one-and-done. And a decade ago, Henry Cavill starred in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, the film that launched the DC Extended Universe and made Cavill a fan-favorite actor for his dignified work as Clark Kent.

Cavill went on to appear in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) and, after years away from the role, appeared in a cameo in Black Adam (2022) and announced his intention to star in more Superman projects. That was all before Gunn and Safran were hired to revamp DC, which included plans for a younger Superman.

Superman: Legacy has a release date of July 11, 2025, with Gunn expecting to film early next year. The casting search will now continue for characters such as Lex Luthor and the superheroes The Authority, who are expected to debut in Legacy before toplining their own film.
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