Tag: Superman: Legacy

Ahead of an expected January start of production, DC Studios’ Superman: Legacy continues to add to its cast. According to a trade report, Portuguese model Sara Sampaio has signed on to play the role of Eve Teschmacher.

First introduced in Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman where the character was played by Valerie Perrine, Eve Teschmacher is an ally and possible love interest of Lex Luthor. Luthor will be played by Nicholas Hoult, who recently landed the role after months of speculation.

Superman: Legacy has been described as the “launch of the DCU” and, according to DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran, will be centered “on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.” The film was written and will be directed by Safran’s partner James Gunn who explained that Superman, played by David Corenswet, “is for everyone. [Superman] four-quadrant film that should speak to everyone in the world,” explained Gunn. “With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy. There are really good—almost saintly—people and Superman is among them,” added the director.

Gunn’s saintly take on Kal-El is slated to hit theaters on July 11th, 2025.

Source: Variety

With the script for Superman: Legacy complete, the DC Studios reboot–slated for 2025–is a rarity right now in that it’s not felt the impact of the ongoing WGA strike and is continuing to make pre-production progress. While the potential SAG strike might change things up a bit for James Gunn’s new project, those are still tomorrow’s concerns and so, for now, Gunn is pushing ahead in the search for not only the next Man of Steel but the entire supporting cast.

According to Deadline, that search has been narrowed down considerably, and, over the weekend, Gunn conducted screen tests with some of the reported favorites for the roles of Kal-El and Lois Lane. Though Gunn has refrained from confirming or denying who might be on his list, it’s been widely reported thay Tom Brittney, David Corenswet and Nicholas Hoult are among the top contenders for Superman while Rachel Brosnahan, Pheobe Dynevor and Emma Mackey top his list of talent for Lois Lane. And while Gunn is not budging on revealing who he has in his sights for the roles, he did take to Bluesky to update the process.

“Amazing amazing weekend of auditions for Superman: Legacy,” said Gunn. “I’m blown away by some of these actors, among the best I’ve ever seen or worked with.” Given the array of talented actors Gunn has aligned himself with in the past and the loyalty he has to them, that’s no small compliment coming from the director. With principal photography not set to begin until January 2024, Gunn still has plenty of time to find the right fit for each role and to make sure the actors have the right chemistry with one another.

Superman: Legacy is slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

With production on James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy tentatively slated to get underway in January 2024, the search for the actors and actresses who will fill the film’s key roles is well underway. In May, a list of potential frontrunners for the roles of Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor emerged and while that list was stocked with talent, there’s been no official word of anyone landing a spot just yet. Now, a new report from Variety indicates that Gunn may still be looking for his Superman and that a new name has joined his list of candidates.

The trade is reporting that model and actor Pierson Fodé, best known for a 280-episode run on The Bold and the Beautiful, may have caught Gunn’s eye and be among those up for the role of Kal-El. Fodé‘s self-taped audition included a “montage” of the small-town farm in Montana on which the actor grew up and it apparently gave off some Clark Kent/Smallville vibes that Gunn reportedly enjoyed.

Landing what must be one of the most coveted leading roles in Hollywood would be a major step up the ladder for Fodé whose biggest film credits include a supporting role in Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart‘s Netflix original The Man from Toronto. Variety reported that no decisions have been made and that everyone’s reps declined comment. Superman: Legacy is currently set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: Variety

With principal photography on Superman: Legacy set to kick off in just eight months, writer/director James Gunn has begun the process of casting. A series of trade reports have provided some insight into a list of potential frontrunners for some of the 2025 film’s key roles while also giving some more details about what to expect from the all-new, all-different DCU’s first feature film.

Casting Kal-El

It’s not unfair to say that whoever Gunn chooses for his Kal-El could make or break not only Superman: Legacy but also the fledgling DCU. Fortunately, Gunn has an uncanny knack for nailing key castings. Despite a list of monster names having auditioned for the Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn famously fought to have Chris Pratt in the role despite the star flubbing his audition. Dave Bautista probably owes his now acclaimed acting career to Gunn, Karen Gillan became a star as Nebula and Chukwudi Iwuji put together one of Marvel Studios’ best villainous turns as the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn knows talent and given he also knows Superman: Legacy inside and out, he knows exactly what he’s looking for in the next actor to wear the symbol of the House of El and according to the Hollywood trades, he’s getting close to finding his leading man.

THR reports that after viewing audition tapes for the role of Clark Kent, DC Studios is preparing to screen test a handful of frontrunners. Topping that list are Pearl and House of Cards star David Corenswet and X-Men alum Nicholas Hoult, while Euphoria star Jacob Elordi and Andrew Richardson seem to have been among a larger group of earlier contenders that has since been thinned out.

Finding Lois Lane

When the star of your show is an omnipotent, god-like alien, it’s pretty important that he stay grounded. To that end, Gunn’s selection for Lois Lane is nearly as critical as that of Superman. Much like the casting of Sue Storm is essential for Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four, Gunn has to land a star as Lois. Despite being married to a nigh-invulnerable hero, it’s Lois who stands tall as the unshakable center of Superman’s life. Appropriately, Gunn has put together quite a list of stars for the role.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan, Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor, Sex Education star Emma Mackey and neo scream queen Samara Weaving have reportedly made their way through the early screening process. Brosnahan’s audition seems to have caught Gunn’s eye though multiple reports indicate the Emmy-award-winning actress may be just outside of the age range Warner Bros. Discovery has in mind for their new universe.

The Big Bad

While the trades have casually reported the news that the film’s antagonist will be Lex Luthor, it is the first confirmation that Gunn has chosen Superman’s oldest and most well-known foe to occupy his time in the first film. It’s simultaneously the most and least bold choice Gunn could make.

After checking in with an unknown star of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on their interest in the role, Gunn is reportedly now meeting with Black actors for the role of “Apex.” While that’s just a code name, it does refer to a very recent iteration of the character who was an extremely powerful human/Martian hybrid.

The reports indicate that the casting process for all three roles is expected to pick up steam after Memorial Day. It would certainly be in DC Studios’ best interest to have the cast of Superman: Legacy introduced on stage in two months at SDCC ’23 and given Gunn’s history with the convention, that wouldn’t be a surprise.

Sources: THR, Deadline, The Wrap

In many ways, James Gunn‘s Superman: Legacy is sounding more and more like a throwback. Though it is expected to be set in the modern continuity of the all-new, all-different DCU, Gunn has made it clear that the film, which DC Studios co-chair Peter Safran said will launch the new DCU, will explore some “old-fashioned” values and will see a Superman who stands for truth, justice and the American way. It’s an interesting challenge for Gunn because the perception that Superman represents a bygone era has made it tough for modern writers to crack new stories that resonate with modern readers; however, a pattern is emerging that might give some insight into how Gunn plans to take on that challenge.

Part of keeping the old-fashioned spirit of Superman alive might be surrounding him with other old-fashioned characters, making Kal-El feel a bit less like a fish out of water. To that end, Gunn has already confirmed that Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen, is set to appear in his new Superman film. Olsen was a fixture in the comics and in the late 1970s/early 1980s Superman films played by Marc McClure. That Olsen came complete with an innocent “Aw shucks, Mr. Kent” persona that was in stark contrast to the CIA assassin version of the character that briefly appeared in the Snyderverse. It seems far more likely that Gunn’s version of the character would be in line with the original interpretation of the character, helping establish a more old-fashioned feel around Superman.

Along those old-fashioned lines, it sounds as though James Gunn is set to drop another one of Superman’s friends in Superman: Legacy; in fact, it sounds like it’ll be (Super)man’s best friend: Krypto the Superdog! While promoting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with Chris Pratt, Gunn jokingly said he’d cast Pratt as the on-set reference for Krypto. When the interviewer asked if he had just gotten a scoop about Krypto’s appearance in the film, Gunn confirmed that he did!

Gunn has always been a fan of Krypto and, dating back to when he first started work at DC has explored using the character in a project. Back in 2021, we erroneously reported that Gunn was developing a Krypto project for Warner Bros but Gunn’s interest in the character has clearly not waned. Adding Krypto to the mix seems to further ground the story of Superman: Legacy in those old-fashioned values Safran talked bout. A man’s best friend. A boy and his dog. However you put it, there’s a certain sentimentality to the idea of Superman having a canine sidekick with him on his new adventure.

Superman: Legacy is currently set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.