The casting for “Superman: Legacy” is heating up as screen tests get underway Father’s Day weekend with Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Phoebe Dynevor testing for Clark Kent and Lois Lane, according to insiders with knowledge of the projects
David Corenswet, Emma Mackey and Tom Brittney are also testing for the roles of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
This isn’t Hoult’s first dash with a major superhero film — he was in the running to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ reboot, which eventually went to Robert Pattinson. Brosnahan, meanwhile, is just coming off the end of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” so her schedule is freed up.
“Superman: Legacy” — which Gunn wrote and will direct — is slated for release on July 11, 2025 and will tell the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent. Per DC Studios, “he is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old fashioned.”
The film will kick off a new era of the DCU in earnest, as Gunn and Peter Safran are spearheading a new interconnected series of films and TV shows much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe as part of their duties as DC Films co-CEOS. Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” sequel will follow “Legacy” in October 2025, although the Robert Pattinson film will continue to exist in its own separate universe – an outlier in Gunn and Safran’s overarching plans.
Those plans also include an additional, separate Batman movie with a different actor in the lead role called “The Brave and the Bold,” a “Supergirl” movie, a “Swamp Thing” film from director James Mangold, and an animated series called “Creature Commandos” for which Gunn has written all the scripts. There’s also an Amanda Waller spinoff series starring Viola Davis that will include much of the cast from Gunn’s DC HBO Max series “Peacemaker.”
Reps for Warner Brothers Discovery had no comment.
Deadline first reported the news.