‘Superman: Legacy’: Every Confirmed Actor & Character (So Far)

We can all agree that the idea of DCEU fell apart with 2017’s ‘Justice League,’ which was a huge letdown in both critical and commercial ways. After that, WB and DC focused more on standalone movies, out of which some were better received, but the franchise wasn’t able to find the right course. Seeing that it leads to nowhere, WB decided to pull the plug, and James Gunn and Peter Safran were hired to develop a new cinematic universe, DCU, which will serve as the soft reboot.

After completing his work on Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ James Gunn began his work as the co-CEO of DC Studios with Safran. In early 2023, Gunn officially announced the first five movies and five streaming shows set in DCU. Additionally, Gunn also serves as the writer and director of ‘Superman: Legacy,’ the movie that is set to officially kick off DCU, although it’s not the first DCU project by the release date since the animated series ‘Creature Commandos’ is set to premiere on Max in 2024.

‘Superman: Legacy’ won’t just kick off a new cinematic universe based on DC characters, but it’ll also mark the beginning of a new era of DC movies. In the rest of this article, we’ll list all the actors and characters confirmed to appear in James Gunn’s newest superhero flick. We’ll update this article as new casting additions happen.

‘Superman: Legacy’: Every confirmed actor & character

David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman

Many DC fans weren’t happy when Henry Cavill announced that he wouldn’t return as DCEU’s Superman anymore, particularly because the announcement came like a bolt from the blue after Cavill announced his return after appearing in the post-credit scene in ‘Black Adam.’

James Gunn said he’s looking for someone younger than Cavill, and in June 2023, David Corenswet was officially cast as the newest Man of Steel. Before becoming Superman, Corenswet starred in two Netflix series, ‘The Politician’ and ‘Hollywood,’ both created by Ryan Murphy.

Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane

It’s impossible to have a Superman movie (or TV show) without his iconic love interest and coworker Lois Lane. Amy Adams portrayed Lois Lane in DCEU, and the honor of playing such an iconic character was now given to Rachel Brosnahan. Brosnahan is best known for starring in Amazon’s acclaimed series ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,’ for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2018.

Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl

Apart from introducing a new cinematic Superman, James Gunn’s next movie will also introduce a whole squad of new characters into the franchise. One of them is a known winged warrior known as Hawkgirl, who DC fans probably remember as a found member of the Justice League in the ‘Justice League’ animated series.

Hawkgirl appeared in live-action media before, but Legacy will mark the first appearance of the character on the big screen. Although Hawkgirl wasn’t part of the DC Extended Universe, the character of Hawkman, played by Aldis Hodge, appeared in 2022’s ‘Black Adam.’ Hawkgirl will be played by Isabela Merced, who is known for starring in movies such as ‘Transformers: The Last Knight,’ ‘Instant Family,’ ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado,’ and ‘Dora and the Lost City of Gold.’

Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mister Terrific

Although he never appeared on the big screen before, Mr. Terrific is one of those Justice League members who certainly deserves more recognition. Michael Holt, also known as Mr. Terrific, is set to appear in the first DCU movie, with Edi Gathegi attached to play the role.

The character of Mr. Terrific previously appeared in live-action in the Arrowverse, but that incarnation was named Curtis Holt. This isn’t the first time Edi Gathegi will play a comic book character since one of his better-known roles is Darwin from 2011’s ‘X-Men: First Class.’

Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern

Long before the idea of DCU even existed, HBOMax and DC were working on a live-action TV show about the Green Lantern Corps. Finn Wittrock signed to star in the series as Guy Gardner, one of the Green Lanterns.

However, after DC Studios decided to reboot the franchise, the development of the series was canceled, and Gunn announced a new series titled ‘Lanterns,’ which is set to focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart. However, Guy Gardner will still debut in the upcoming ‘Superman: Legacy,’ played by Nathan Fillion, who previously worked with Gunn on Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.’

Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho

Anthony Carrigan isn’t unfamiliar with playing DC characters since he played a known villain Victor Zsasz in the Fox TV series ‘Gotham.’ Now, Carrigan will get a chance to play another DC character, Rex Mason/Metamorpho, in ‘Superman: Legacy.’ James Gunn confirmed the casting, but nothing is known at this moment about the character’s role in the movie.

Unknown actor as Jimmy Olsen

DC fans know who Jimmy Olsen is, a young photographer at Daily Planet and a close friend of Clark and Lois. Marc McClure portrayed the character in the original Superman franchise starring Christopher Reeve, and Sam Huntington played him in 2006’s ‘Superman Returns.’

In Zack Snyder’s ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ Michael Cassidy played Jimmy Olsen, who was depicted this time as a CIA operative who poses as Lois Lane’s photographer. The fans of the character took issue with this incarnation, and it’s expected that Jimmy Olsen would be more to its character in ‘Legacy.’ Gunn confirmed that Jimmy Olsen would be featured in the movie, although it’s still unknown who will play the character.

Unknown actor as Perry White

Just like Jimmy Olsen, Perry White is also a known character associated with Clark Kent. Superman fans know he’s Daily Planet’s editor-in-chief, or in other words, Clark and Lois’ boss. Jackie Cooper portrayed the character in the original ‘Superman’ movie series starring Christopher Reeve, while Frank Langella played him in ‘Superman Returns.’ In DC Extended Universe, Laurence Fishburne played Perry White, but it’s unknown which actor play the character in ‘Legacy.’

Unknown actor as Lex Luthor

During his 85-year-long worth of history, Superman encountered countless villains, but just like in any superhero’s case, there’s always that one villain who always keeps coming back. In Superman’s case, that’s arguably Lex Luthor.

This infamous DC villain has been portrayed by many actors across different projects in different media. Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey, and Jesse Eisenberg portrayed this known villain on the big screen in the past, but it’s unknown who’s going to play him in ‘Legacy.’ Some reports are saying that Nicholas Hoult, who competed for the role of Superman before Corenswet was cast, might get a chance to still appear in the movie as Lex Luthor, but we will wait for official confirmation.

‘Superman: Legacy’ is currently set to open in theaters on July 11, 2025.

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