David Corenswet Is Reportedly An Early Favorite To Be The Next Superman, And A List Of Lois Lane Contenders Has Emerged
Emma McIntyre. Getty Images."The quest for James Gunn’s Superman is up, up, and away.
"Casting for Superman: Legacy, the feature that is meant to kick off Gunn and Peter Safran’s much-vaunted first chapter of DC Studios, is hitting a crucial phase, with a short list of names bubbling up for the roles of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and even Lex Luthor.
"David Corenswet, who recently played the ill-fated projectionist opposite Mia Goth in Pearl, is among the top contenders to play Kent, aka Superman, advancing to the screen test stage that will likely take place after Memorial Day or early June, multiple sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Two other contenders may also be in the mix but their identities remain unknown."
Let's gooooo!!!! Kind of a slow day for sports on this fine Saturday. Usually Borys Kit saves his best nuggets of inside information for Fridays. Not this time — and now us DC/superhero movie stans have something to really chew on through the weekend.
So…David Corenswet, eh? I mean, you can see the photo at the top of the blog. Dude has the look for Superman. I've only ever seen him in Pearl, and thought he was a huge standout. I won't spoil what happens to him, but his character in that film showed off a wholesome vulnerability that'd translate well for Corenswet to the Clark Kent persona. Then yeah, he has that whole chiseled jaw thing going on. Pretty easy to see why DC Studios covets the 29-year-old, who stands at a towering 6'4" and would cut an impressive figure as the Man of Steel.
Imagine being up for Superman and having footage out there of Ben Platt literally telling you that you look like him. LOL.
Another big name you can see up there is Nicholas Hoult. Deadline's Justin Kroll reported that Hoult is up for Superman, not Lex, which actually kind of matches up with the THR report about his involvement. It reads, "Hoult's name has been swirling around Legacy for several weeks now with some theorizing he was up for Superman."
But ya know…this deep-dive report emphasizes that Corenswet is one of the actors who'll soon take the screen test. The other two contenders' identities are hidden better than Clark Kent behind a pair of spectacles for the time being. Seems like one of them might be Hoult.
It wasn't so long ago that Hoult was donning the cape and cowl for Warner Bros. That's right. For Matt Reeves' The Batman, Hoult screen tested for Bruce Wayne/Batsy, but Robert Pattinson was the choice in the end. I always wondered if Reeves might bring him back as one of the classic villains from Batman's rogues' gallery to square off with Battinson. That'd be pretty sick.
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Apparently, Hoult may try his hand at either Luthor or Supes instead in the DC cinematic canon. I feel like he could nail either role. His uppity, smarmy performance in The Menu is so Lex-esque, and we're talking about an actor who played J.R.R. Tolkien in a biopic. That versatility and skill set would fit nicely with the uber-smart businessman Luthor, or even Clark's Daily Planet reporter. Depending on which direction this new Superman goes, I feel like Hoult could explore some of the darker parts of him very effectively based on his previous work. I like his physical comedy for Clark, too. Didn't realize Hoult is 6'3" either. I guess DC Studios is looking for someone fairly tall.
How about the collection of talent up for Lois Lane, though? Rachel Brosnahan has obviously had an incredible run on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Easy to see some carryover there to Lois. THR reported she already had an awesome audition. Then you have Samara Weaving, who carried the horror movie Ready or Not and would bring a lot of fascinating layers to the character. I'm not as familiar with Phoebe Dynevor of Bridgerton fame or Emma Mackey, but the latter will be in WB's Barbie here soon, so there's a clear connection there.
Still going to be a while before we get any official word on casting. For what it's worth, James Gunn chimed in on Twitter and explained no hard decisions have been made, save for one role:
"For all of you asking, I would never comment on who is or isn’t AUDITIONING for a role. That’s the actor’s business only & isn’t something I’d make public unless they did it first after the fact (like @GlennHowerton or @ZacharyLevi having auditioned for Star-Lord & being top choices). For now, only one person has been CAST in Superman: Legacy, and it isn’t any of the regular players in the Superman world."
Superman: Legacy doesn't release until July 11, 2025. Nevertheless, my hype is already beginning to build. Gunn just completed what many believe to be Marvel's best movie trilogy with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and I'm quite excited to see him get his arms around a character who isn't such an oddball.
I don't recall seeing Gunn take on this type of lead character before. His protagonists tend to be super quirky. Not that Clark Kent isn't, but he's much more of a straightforward/forthright sort of guy than, say, Peacemaker or Star Lord. We know Gunn can pack an emotional punch with his storytelling. If he can dial down at least some of the offbeat humor that doesn't quite fit with Superman and still deliver a heartfelt, amazing blockbuster, the lengthy wait ahead for Superman: Legacy should be well worth it.
Twitter @MattFitz_gerald/TikTok