(Updated 12/19/2024)
A new vision for DC Comics movies is coming to the big screen, and Superman is leading the way. After six years away from the big screen (setting aside the minor SHAZAM! and BLACK ADAM cameos) it's high time for Superman to return to movie theaters. SUPERMAN introduces a new movie version of the character, with up-and-coming actor David Corenswet in the starring role.
The movie arrives in July 2025, and more and more details about SUPERMAN are being made public. The first teaser trailer shows Superman in action, and reveals quite a few other DC heroes and villains — and one wonder dog! — that will be part of the story. Here's everything we know about the new SUPERMAN.
What's the New Superman Movie Release Date?
SUPERMAN will open exclusively in movie theaters on July 11, 2025. This new Superman movie will effectively launch the new DC movie slate. It's the first movie in the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" story cycle.
Watch the First Superman Trailer
This first teaser trailer for SUPERMAN shows us a lot! There's David Corenswet as both Clark Kent and Superman. There's Lois Lane, and there's Krypto, the wonder dog! We see the Fortress of Solitude and Lex Luthor — and several other heroes, from Green Lantern Guy Gardner to Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mister Terrific.
There are also a few structural callbacks to the classic Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve. The font in the trailer, and the music, both directly reflect Richard Donner's 1978 original.
Did the New Superman Movie Title Change?
Yes, SUPERMAN was not originally the name of the new movie. We'll let writer/director James Gunn explain. "When I finished the first draft of the script," he said, "I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN. Making our way to you July 2025."
Who Plays the New Superman?
The new Superman actor is David Corenswet. The Philadelphia-born actor is known for roles in the Netflix series "Hollywood" and "The Politician" in addition to the HBO series "We Own This City" and the 2022 horror sequel, PEARL.
Comments made by James Gunn suggest that Corenswet's version of Superman will start off as a kind of workplace story, with equal time given to Clark Kent and Superman — giving the actor a chance to, in essence, play two roles. That means we can expect to see characters like Perry White and Jimmy Olsen — and, of course, Lois Lane. In fact, Lane will be played by Rachel Brosnahan. She's best known for playing the title role in "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which recently wrapped up its final season on Amazon.
Who Else Is in the Superman Cast?
In addition to Corenswet and Brosnahan, SUPERMAN features Nicholas Hoult as the villain Lex Luthor. Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern known for being hot-headed and not always great at his job. Isabela Merced plays Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi plays Mister Terrific; and Anthony Carrigan (aka NoHo Hank from "Barry") plays archaeologist Rex Mason, who is also the superhero Metamorpho.
Superman Is Not an Origin Story
One thing we do know about the new Superman movie is that it will not re-tell Superman's origin. Gunn suggests that the movie will begin with Clark Kent already working as a young reporter at the Daily Planet. We do not yet know if the movie is set in the present day, or if SUPERMAN is effectively a flashback prelude to the new DC movie universe.
Superman Will Feature an Optimistic Hero
When the new DC movie lineup was announced, the division's co-chief, Peter Safran, said that SUPERMAN "focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned."
For nearly 20 years, ever since the 2006 release of SUPERMAN RETURNS, we've seen movie versions of Superman that are conflicted and even fairly dark. There's a lot to explore there, but the darker versions of Superman have been divisive. This movie seems designed to return the character to his more optimistic roots.
“He’s a big old galoot. He is a farm boy from Kansas who is very idealistic," James Gunn said of the character when announcing the new movie. "His greatest weakness is that he’ll never kill anybody and doesn’t want to hurt a living soul. And I like that sort of innate goodness about Superman as his defining characteristic."
Building on the All-Star Superman Comic Books
While we don't know anything specific about the story in SUPERMAN, James Gunn has indicated that a primary inspiration is the comic book series "All-Star Superman," by Grant Morrisson and Frank Quitley. That series was notable for developing a sort of "Greatest Hits" story out of many classic Superman story ingredients.
If you wanted to give someone one Superman comic book to read as an introduction, it would be "All-Star Superman."
And while the new movie will not be a beat-for-beat adaptation of the comic book, Gunn says that the story is a major inspiration. Specifically, the script draws from parts of "All-Star" which deal with Superman trying to reconcile his astonishing strength with his equaly strong sense of morality.
Read about the rest of the new DC Comics movie slate.
All images courtesy of DC Comics and Warner Bros. Pictures.