It's a bird ... it's a plane ... it's David Corenswet as the new Superman.
Warner Bros and DC Studios announced the leads of Superman: Legacy after months of auditions. Corenswet will play the Man of Steel in James Gunn's reboot of the franchise for the DCU, while The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan is set to play Lois Lane.
Deadline reports that DC co-chairs Peter Safran and Gunn (who is also directing) made their final decision after holding screen tests the weekend of June 17. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the other contenders included Nicholas Hoult, Tom Brittney, Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor.
The search for the new Superman has been top priority for the studio since Gunn and Safran took the reins at DC. They announced they would recast the role previously inhabited by Henry Cavill in three films (and a cameo in last fall's Black Adam).
Superman: Legacy, which has a release date of July 11, 2025, is the keystone to the upcoming DC movies. The IP has always been important to Warner Bros. and its corporate parent (currently Warner Bros. Discovery), but is even more so in the wake of disappointing box office results from Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods and, most recently, The Flash.
Now, the pressure is on Gunn and his new lead. So, just who is the new Superman?
Who is David Corenswet?
David Corenswet is a 29-year-old American actor raised in Philadelphia by a lawyer mother and a father who was a former stage actor for many years before also becoming a lawyer.
As a child actor, Corenswet appeared in numerous stage productions in the Philadelphia area. Later, he co-wrote, produced and starred in the sketch-comedy web series Moe & Jerryweather.
After graduating from Juilliard in 2016, Corenswet guested on House of Cards and Elementary before landing a significant role on Ryan Murphy's Netflix show The Politician. He also starred in Murphy's Hollywood limited series.
More recently, he appeared in the HBO miniseries We Own This City, the Netflix rom-com Look Both Ways and the indie movie Pearl. He'll also be in the upcoming Apple TV Plus drama Lady in the Lake opposite Natalie Portman and has been cast in the disaster flick Twisters.
In the past six years, Corenswet has steadily gained ground in making a name for himself. Men's Health described him as a "breakout lead," while IndieWire praised his "star-proving turn" in Hollywood.
