We loved James Gunn’s Superman and are incredibly excited that we’ll get to see its characters return sooner rather than later, both on the big and small screens. But, until that happens, Abrams is releasing a new book called Superman: The Art and Making of the Film by James Field, which will take you back inside the production of the hit DC film. And now, io9 has an exclusive look.
Below, we have two gorgeous spreads from the book, which features an introduction by James Gunn and a foreword by Superman himself, David Corenswet. The first is a seriously cool look at the Daily Planet. “But Germain, we saw the Daily Planet in the film.” Yes, you did. But you didn’t see much of it and only in small tastes. Here, these pages reveal not just the full layout of the newsroom but also fascinating information about its construction. Or, more specifically, a lack thereof. Check it out.
You have to wonder if, with the upcoming Jimmy Olsen show, Gunn and team will have to reconstruct this found location somewhere on a soundstage. We bet they will. But we loved learning about this iconic location and how it was tackled in the film.
Speaking of iconic locations, our second exclusive spread is less informational and more inspirational. It’s a look at some truly gorgeous concept art of the Fortress of Solitude. The book is filled with this stuff, especially when it comes to the Fortress.
The book, which we caught a glimpse of in digital form, is chock-full of stunning art like that. There are also set photos, character portraits, exclusive interviews, you name it. Plus, in our favorite little nod, it’s got the full DC mural from the Hall of Justice. Which is kind of worth the price of admission on its own.
Superman: The Art and Making of the Film by James Field will be available wherever books are sold on November 18. Check out the cover below, and here’s the link on Amazon.
What was James Gunn’s Arkham Asylum TV show update?
Speaking to BobaTalks in a recent interview with the YouTuber, Gunn was asked about Reeves’ show, which was originally set to be a spin-off to The Batman and focus on the Gotham City Police Department. Gunn was asked if there were any hopes for the show to come back, and while he didn’t say no, his answer all but shut the door on it.
“Hope? Sure. But that isn’t something that’s being developed by anyone right now. You know? Just didn’t work,” said Gunn.
The show, which was originally rumored to be titled GCPD, went through many changes. Originally described as a drama about the GCPD, reports suggested that Reeves then spun those plans into a separate project that would’ve focused on the iconic asylum that houses many of Batman’s most legendary foes.
For whatever reason, the show never materialized and Reeves ended up working on the award-winning and critically acclaimed series The Penguin instead. Whether or not Reeves will continue that series, or perhaps work on another DC project for Gunn, is unknown as of now. Currently, Reeves is working on the follow-up to The Batman, The Batman: Part II, which is set to release in theaters on October 1, 2027.
Originally reported by Anthony Nash for SuperHeroHype.
It began with Creature Commandos and got deeper withSuperman, but it was the finale of Peacemaker where James Gunn really began to pull the curtain back on his plans for the DC Universe. Since the very beginning of this journey, Gunn has made it clear that he has a plan for a big, overarching story in the DC Universe. One that you don’t have to watch every single piece of content to understand, but that will connect.
And while there have been teases before, the ending of Peacemaker season two is the first and best time we’ve had an idea of where this is all going.
So at the end of Peacemaker season two, Peacemaker himself (John Cena) is relegated to Salvation, a dimension where the government has begun to place metahumans it does not want to deal with. And, speaking with Rolling Stone, Gunn confirmed that the idea of Salvation is at the root of not just Peacemaker’s future, but the DC Universe at large.
“People should expect that the way that the military and Rick [Flag] and everybody are working together and they’ve created a probably illegal prison for metahumans on another dimension is gonna be a part of DCU stories going forward,” Gunn said. “And not just a tertiary, ‘Oh, this is Arkham’—it’s a part of the stories. There’s an escalating war, obviously, that’s going on between the government and metahumans. And this is a part of it.”
That “escalating war” will also be a part of the next two big pieces to the puzzle: Lanterns on HBO Max and Supergirl, in theaters June 2026. “Both those things are worked in,” Gunn said. “We knew both of those stories were a part of what we originally put together, so they’re part of the overall tapestry, but they’re also their own thing. Supergirl especially is a space adventure. It’s like Guardians [of the Galaxy]. Lanterns is its own thing. There’s just a longer, sort of a bigger world we’re building with all these different pieces and they do all come together and intersect sometimes in a story fashion and sometimes just in a, you know, ‘Here’s another piece of the world’ fashion.”
Of course, you begin to see that when you remember Peacemaker saw Rick Flag Sr. and Lex Luthor, star of the next Superman movie, Man of Tomorrow, in cahoots during this time. But, Gunn has teased, the big threat of that 2027 movie will be something new entirely.
“There is one big story,” Gunn said in a separate interview, as reported by Screen Brief. “On the one hand, everything is going to be okay to watch by itself, but there is still a bigger story that is being told that involves, for example, Salvation. And that story involves Rick Flag, it involves Lex and Superman, so those movies I’m going to be directing.”
” I’m not expecting people to go into Man of Tomorrow and know what Salvation is,” Gunn added. “We will say it in the movie. You’ll find out anything you need to know about, such [as] metahuman’s disappearing, through that movie.”
What do you think this story about metahumans disappearing thanks to the government will lead to? Let us know below.
A new batch of set photos for DC Studios‘ highly anticipated body horror movie led by Kandahar’s Tom Rhys Harries, Clayface, has arrived online. Like James Gunn’s recently released Superman movie, the live-action Clayface movie is also a part of the DC Universe’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters saga, which was first announced back in January 2023.
What is shown in the new Clayface set photos?
Shared on X, the behind-the-scenes photos continue to give fans a glimpse of the DCU’s version of Gotham City. Most of the set photos show a nightclub called Club Vesuvius. In the comics, the club is owned by a former mobster named Johnny Sabatino.
In addition, one of the pictured set props was a protest poster, which urges people to fight against corruption by joining the Joker. This would be the second time that the fan-favorite DC villain’s existence in the DCU was teased on the set of Clayface. At the moment, it remains unknown if these Joker easter eggs would be significant to the upcoming movie’s story.
Have fun with these! This was took yesterday by myself as the set was getting put together pic.twitter.com/vo0Zu99Ibf
The Clayface movie is being directed by James Watkins, who is known for his work on Speak No Evil. The screenplay was written by Mike Flanagan. Based on the character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane for DC Comics, the titular DC character is best known as a fan-favorite Batman villain who has shapeshifting abilities. Described as a body horror thriller, the adaptation will reportedly feature “a Hollywood horror tale centering on a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant.”
According to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn, he and Matt Reeves were blown away by Harries’s audition. Before landing his high-profile project as the lead, the Welsh actor had supporting roles in movies like 2019’s The Gentlemen and 2023’s Kandahar. He also appeared in British shows such as Suspicion, The Split, and Doctor Who.
The movie will debut in theaters on September 11, 2026.
Originally reported by Maggie Dela Paz on SuperHeroHype.
James Gunn recently revealed why the DC Universe will likely not feature many comic tie-ins or novels that explore more of the blossoming DC Universe’s canon.
Why wont there be DCU tie-in comics?
In a recent post on Threads, Gunn was asked if he would ever mind if DC Comics wanted to produce comics to tell the origin of Clark Kent in the DCU. Gunn explained that, due to how hard it is to keep track of the canon with multiple films and TV shows, Gunn and those at DC Studios don’t consider anything outside of the filmed media canon.
Gunn was then asked if the Superman novel Welcome to Metropolis, which was inspired by the 2025 movie and serves as a “prequel junior novel,” was canon. Gunn confirmed that, as far as he is concerned, it is not canon to the DCU.
As for the future of the DCU, Gunn is already looking ahead. Just this past week, he revealed the next Superman film, Man of Tomorrow, would release on July 9, 2027. Man of Tomorrow will once again be directed by Gunn, based on the DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It will feature the return of David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
At the moment, it’s still unclear which cast members from the first installment would also be returning for the sequel. Following the project’s official announcement, rumors started circulating online about its potential cast members and plot. Recent reports suggested that Jason Momoa might appear as Lobo, along with Milly Alcock’s Supergirl.
Superman also starred Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Anthony Carrigan as Metarmorpho, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, and more. Since its release, the movie has received a Certified Fresh rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. During its theatrical run, it earned a worldwide gross of over $600 million at the box office.
Originally reported by Anthony Nash on SuperHeroHype.
A lot of things on Peacemaker have the capacity to surprise us. The creatively gruesome action sequences, the bizarre non sequiturs, the seamlessly way that its events were retconned over into James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe.
But the latest episode of the show’s second season just found a whole new way to blow the audience’s minds… with the introduction of a relationship that nobody could have expected.
**Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 3 of Peacemaker, “Another Rick Up My Sleeve”, below!**
The very first scene of the episode, before we dive into the anthemic opening dance sequence and into the parallel dimension adventures of Christopher Smith / Peacemaker’s (John Cena), is a flashback. More specifically, it is to three years before the events of Peacemaker Season 2, as Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) gets out of bed and gets ready for the day. In the bed behind her is Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), and the two of them begin to talk about the nature of their relationship.
Rick brings up the possibility of him breaking up with June Moone / Enchantress (played by Cara Delevigne in 2016’s Suicide Squad), who could react by tearing “a hole through the planet.” He says that that might be worth it, though, so he and Emilia can truly be together.
Emilia, meanwhile, claims that the two of them are probably each other’s only friends and that really being in a relationship could “screw that up.” Rick argues that, by hooking up, they probably already have screwed things up. Emilia pushes him to get dressed for the day because he ships out to Corto Maltese in just a few hours, before a montage of his scenes from The Suicide Squad play, culminating in his tragic death at the hands of Peacemaker.
A new ship for a new DCU
It’s impressive what this scene accomplishes (and raises questions about) in the span of just a few minutes. Even though Gunn has referred to the events of The Suicide Squad as an “imperfect memory” in this new DCU (with the fallout of Peacemaker killing Flag Jr. on that mission remaining the biggest constant so far), fans will probably spend the next few days and weeks debating the timeline and canon of it all.
The “three years ago” flashback would move the DCU events of The Suicide Squad (and by extension, the first season of Peacemaker) later than they were in the previous DC Extended Universe canon, putting them in closer proximity to what we’ve recently seen in projects like Creature Commandos and Superman. And Rick’s mention of June provides the biggest crumb in years for 2016’s Suicide Squad, even though there’s no telling at this point if any of that film’s events are canon, or if Delevigne would even reprise the role in the DCU. Rick mentioning that June could use her powers in 2022, when Suicide Squad ended with her being freed from Enchantress in 2016, seems to hint at a different chain of events than what we’ve previously seen onscreen.
But beyond that, this scene between Emilia and Rick is impressive on an emotional level. It ties together two characters who never even shared a frame in The Suicide Squad, but whose personalities and histories with Black Ops have more overlap than any of us could have probably realized. Some fans probably had their suspicions after Peacemaker Season 2’s premiere, when Earth-2 Keith Smith (David Denman) told Peacemaker that Earth-2 Emilia is dating a “jarhead,” but the reveal that they were also together on Earth-1 is something else altogether.
It adds a new weight to Rick’s death, and to the ensuing months of Emilia having to work alongside the man who killed him… which has only become more complicated now that they’ve seemingly started to develop feelings for each other. As Season 2 of Peacemaker has shown us thus far, there’s a multiverse of possibilities for how this could shake out.
New episodes of Peacemaker debut Thursdays at 9/8pm CT exclusively on HBO Max.
New photos and videos from the set of Clayface appear to reveal the DCU film’s logo and a Joker Easter egg. Notably, Clayface is slated to be the third DCU feature after Superman and Supergirl. James Watkins (Speak No Evil) is helming the movie from a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini.
Clayface set photos hint at movie’s logo, Joker easter egg
Production for Clayface began in late August 2025. Since then, new photos and clips from the set of the highly anticipated feature in Liverpool have surfaced on social media. A few of them feature the clapperboard, which gives viewers an idea of what the movie’s logo could be.
One photo depicts “the Jokers” graffiti on the wall of a property, indicating that the Crown Prince of Crime exists in some form in the DCU.
it’s so healing to walk round Gotham set dressing since last time when they shot The Batman my anxiety was so bad I didn’t get to see any of it :’) pic.twitter.com/z4sIb8JgLI
The DC Universe is a soft reboot of the previous franchise based around DC characters, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), with James Gunn and Peter Safran serving as co-heads. It was in January 2021 that Flanagan publicly stated his interest in developing a Clayface project. There was no DCU at the time. In March 2023, after Gunn and Safran announced the DCU slate, Flanagan reportedly pitched a Clayface movie to them. The character made his DCU debut in the animated series Creature Commandos, with Alan Tudyk lending his voice to the role. Earlier this year, Tom Rhys Harries (White Lines) joined the cast as the titular character. He is reportedly portraying the Matt Hagen iteration of Clayface. Naomi Ackie is also part of the cast.
Clayface is a body-horror feature. Its log line reads, “A Hollywood horror tale centering on a B-movie actor who injects himself with a substance to keep himself relevant, only to find out that he can reshape his face and form, becoming a walking piece of clay.”
Clayface debuts in U.S. theaters on September 11, 2026.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.
The DC Universe is back down to only two confirmed canon projects following DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn‘s latest update on the franchise.
Are the new Superman shorts starring Krypto canon to the DCU?
Earlier today, Gunn responded to a fan on the social media platform Threads who asked if the animated Krypto the Superdog short films were canon to the DCU.
“No. I love ’em tho,” Gunn wrote back, confirming that the recently released Krypto Saves the Day! was not part of the DCU, even though the character designs are clearly inspired by the DC head’s Superman reboot.
Krypto Saves the Day!, the first of at least four animated short films that will be released over the next year, was included on the digital release of Superman as one of its bonus features. Gunn’s canon clarification means that the only released projects so far that are part of the DCU are Creature Commandos and Superman, with the next set to be the second season of Peacemaker.
Looking further ahead, fans have Lanterns, Supergirl, and Clayface to look forward to, with all three DCU projects set to be released in 2026. Krypto the Superdog will appear in Supergirl, which will be headlined by Milly Alcock, who made her DCU debut as the Girl of Steel at the end of Superman, where she swung by the Fortress of Solitude to retrieve Krypto from her cousin Kal-El/Superman.
Next year will also see production beginning on Gunn’s Superman follow-up movie as well as a mystery show that “nobody knows about.” The Batman Part II is also expected to begin filming in early 2026, although, like Krypto Saves the Day!, the movie is not part of the DCU. Robert Pattinson will be back as Bruce Wayne/Batman for The Batman Part II, with Matt Reeves returning to the director’s chair after helming the first installment in his The Batman Epic Crime Saga.
The first Krypto short, Krypto Saves the Day!, is currently available on the digital release of Superman, but will also be included in the upcoming home video releases of the DCU movie, which arrive on September 23, 2025.
James Gunn recently addressed what makes the DC Universe (DCU) unique and different from other franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Notably, Gunn has directed the three Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel and currently serves as the co-head of DC Studios along with his long-time producing partner Peter Safran.
James Gunn says New York and Los Angeles don’t exist in DCU
Gunn discussed the world-building aspect of the DCU during an interaction with Rainn Wilson for Interview Magazine and underlined what sets it apart from the MCU and other popular franchises.
When asked how it felt to be part of the DCU world-building, the filmmaker responded, “I think it’s the reason I agreed to the job. You talk about George R.R. Martin [the author of A Song of Ice and Fire book series, the source material of Game of Thrones] and he is really one of the guys who I love and look up to. I’m an enormous fan of his and people say, ‘Oh, the DCU is doing what MCU is.’”
The filmmaker added, “But I think it really is a lot more to me what the Game of Thrones world is like or what Star Wars is like, because we’re building a universe and then picking out little pieces of it and telling individual stories from that universe.”
Gunn’s first DC project was the 2021 DCEU feature The Suicide Squad. The movie performed poorly at the box office for a variety of reasons, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it received glowing reviews from the critics. Since then, Gunn has created two seasons of Peacemaker and one season of Creature Commandos and helmed 2025’s Superman. Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2 are all part of the DCU.
When Wilson asked what makes the DCU unique as a franchise, Gunn pointed out that Metropolis, Evergreen, and Coast City exist in this fictional universe instead of New York and Los Angeles. He added, “It’s a different map. It’s a world in which some form of superheroes, which we call Metahumans, have existed for at least 300 years, and they’ve been a part of our life.”
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.
Beyond that things might be more of us seeing James Gunn doing what he does best, just over at DC Studios. In an interview with the Wrap, Creature Commandos executive producer Dean Lorey (co-creator of Harley Quinn and Kite Man: Hell Yeah!) shared an update on the show: “That’s going to be the first expression of James Gunn’s DC Universe. We’re considering that canon, and I think it expresses his perspective, tonally, on where he wants the universe to go.” Lorey went on to describe it as “nothing new;” it’s another Amanda Waller gets a new anti-hero gang together for punishment tale, but this time with monsters. Which we think we follow but also is a bit of a head-scratcher of a take.
Lorey continued, “It’s Suicide Squad. He’s done it,” he elaborated, at the risk of sounding well… not risky, which is disappointing because we love that Gunn is usually a risk-taker. The rest feels sort of like whiplash word gymnastics: “People aren’t going to be surprised by what it is, but I think they’ll be really encouraged to see how completely it’s going to inform this new version of the DCU, which I’m very excited about.” It’s quite an endorsement that both tempers expectations but sorta leaves us feeling confused about what we’re excited for.
Previously, David Harbour—who’s playing a classic monster in the series—hyped Creature Commandosto io9 as being “…very different. I mean, it’s the mind of James Gunn so it is wacky and strange, but also full of a lot of depth and complexity. The most interesting thing to me about Frankenstein’s monster in general is that he was created to be this sort of erudite, intellectual, romantic, brilliant person, and he winds up being a monster. I mean, that complexity can make for some pretty ripe comedy and also pathos—that a guy who considers himself one thing, is viewed by others as something very different.”
Harbour continued. “That’s the broadest, most mysterious way I can put it, because all I know is the scripts are really good. What we recorded is really great. I’ve seen the art, James is a genius. I think it’s going to be really fun and really exciting, and it opens up a whole new door to the DC Universe of how these characters will occupy the world. I like the concept of a live action and cartoon back and forth.”
Warner Bros. was designating DC shows as “Max Originals” rather than “HBO Originals” as late as last week, when the latest trailer for The Penguin dropped. But there’s been a shift in the branding, according to a report in Variety that HBO and Max content CEO Casey Bloys is “moving most of Max’s upcoming big-budget, tentpole Warner Bros. IP projects to under the HBO umbrella.”
This shift covers shows releasing in 2025 and beyond—so 2024 releases The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy are both expected to still be labeled as Max shows; “the process of licensing [The Penguin] internationally has already started,” Bloys explained. But once the calendar turns over, look for Lanterns, Stephen King-inspired It prequel series Welcome to Derry, and the Harry Potter series that WB is insistent upon making to fall under that HBO Originals banner.
This switch undoes the previous intention to keep all shows based on WB properties under the Max Originals label, and it came about when Bloys and other execs realized the WB shows weren’t all that different from HBO’s own creations. “As we started producing those shows, we were using the same methods, the same kind of thinking, as how we would approach HBO shows,” he told Variety, noting that there’s even crossover between talent, such as Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof now working on Lanterns. “The idea of the delineation kind of started to feel unnecessary … Let’s just call them what they are: HBO shows.”
What does that mean for viewers? Not a lot. It means that if you see an HBO Original being marketed, it will get the perceived prestige of being on the HBO linear channel; all HBO shows will still stream on Max. Max-only series will still exist, but they’ll be “more in the broadcast/traditional TV vein” and will have more scaled-down budgets compared to the HBO shows. When asked why the company doesn’t just make every show an HBO show, which would be the least confusing way forward, Bloys said, “I do think it is helpful to have a brand that doesn’t put the expectations or the intention of an HBO show. If it’s not designed to do that, it shouldn’t have to.”
Make of that what you will. The Penguin, perhaps the last of the DC Max Originals, arrives September 8.
There are a lot of superheroes running around the DC universe at any given time, and it often causes some headaches for its villains. If you’re a bad guy in that universe, how do you tackle that problem in 2024? With some evil super-robots.
Are Fans Tired of Marvel and DC? Superhero Fatigue at NYCC 2023
In DC’s big summer event Absolute Power (from the World’s Finest team of Mark Waid and Dan Mora, Amanda Waller takes center stage its big central villain. After forming a Trinity of Evil with the Brainiac Queen and Zur-En-Arrh (a split Batman personality inside an android named Failsafe), Waller finds a way to take powers from the Justice League and other metahumans to pass on to their Amazo androids. And in looking to get their powers back, Batman leads the now-depowered Leaguers in a resistance movement where they’ve all got some spiffy new threads, which you can see below.
Image: Dan Mora/DC Comics
While Waid and Mora tackle the main four-part story, there’ll be the standard deluge of event tie-ins, including the Absolute Power: Task Force VII miniseries focusing on the souped-up Amazos as they go hunting for superpowers. Foro the first three issues releasing in July, Leah Williams and Caitlin Yarsky kick things off with Last Son, who goes after the Shazam family; Depth Charge targets Aquaman’s entourage in John Layman and Max Raynor’s one-shot; and Jeremy Adams and Marco Santucci spin a tale of Jadestone pursuing the JSA. Finally, Waller gets her own origin story in a three-part miniseries from John Ridley and Alitha Martinez that digs into her longstanding beef with metahumans.
Absolute Power will begin with a Ground Zero recap issue on June 25—from writers Waid, Nicole Maines, Joshua Williamson and Chip Zdarsky, and art by Gleb Melnikov, V. Ken Marion, and Skylar Patridge—followed by its first issue on July 3.
Superman: Legacy’s cast has grown a bit bigger, as the roles of Jimmy Olsen and Eve Teschmacher have been cast for the DC Studios movie. The film is set to release on July 11, 2025.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Skyler Gisondo will be playing Superman’s best friend Jimmy Olsen while Deadline has reported that Sara Sampaio will be playing Lex Luthor’s ally and assistant Eve Teschmacher.
Gisondo has played roles in movies like 2021’s Licorice Pizza and series like The Righteous Gemstones and Curb Your Enthusiasm, while Sampaio has appeared in films like 2021’s Crisis and the hit Showtime series Billions.
Having become part of the cast of Superman: Legacy, the duo join David Corenswet — who has the titular role of Clark Kent/Superman — Rachel Brosnahan — who is playing Lois Lane — and Nicholas Hoult, who is playing the villainous Lex Luthor. Further cast members include María Gabriela De Faría, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and more.
What is Superman: Legacy about?
“Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
James Gunn’s DC Universe has found its Lex Luthor by adding a talented actor to the Superman: Legacy cast.
According to Deadline, Gunn has cast Renfield and The Menu star Nicholas Hoult as the iconic Superman villain. Hoult was previously up for the role of Clark Kent/Superman, which went to David Corenswet. This isn’t his first foray into superhero movies, as he also played Beast in a series of X-Men movies.
What Is Superman: Legacy about?
“Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “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 titular role in Superman: Legacy is being played by David Corenswet (Pearl, The Politician), while Lois Lane will be played by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan. The film is set to release on July 11, 2025.
The DC Universe (DCU) has experienced quite a shakeup of late. With James Gunn and Peter Safran being named co-CEOS of the DCU in October, the changes have been swift and impactful. So far, the duo seems to be aiming to retire most of the regiment’s former heroes. One of the first to go was Henry Cavill’s Superman. Cavill was actually the actor who launched the DCU with his role as Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman) in the 2013 film Man of Steel. He would go on to portray Superman in various DC titles on the big screen until 2016.
Aside from the release of the director’s cut of Justice League (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Cavill went on a 6-year hiatus from the DCU as Superman. However, Black Adam, which premiered in October 2022, brought with it a cameo that held Superman’s long-awaited reintroduction. For a while, Cavill’s future as Superman seemed bright. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson began promising fans that a Black Adam vs. Superman was imminent, and Cavill himself took to Instagram to announce his return.
However, just weeks after Cavill’s return, Gunn and Safran took over DCU and decided to retire Cavill’s Superman in favor of rebooting the DCU entirely and focusing on a fresh start for the majority of the main characters.
Who will be the next Superman?
So far, Cavill’s replacement as Superman in the DCU has not been announced. However, Gunn did unveil the reason for Cavill’s departure. In a Tweet, he revealed that a young Superman project is on the horizon. While Superman will be a part of Gunn’s and Safran’s DCU, they are seeking to focus on an “earlier part” of Superman’s history. Hence, the duo seems to be seeking an actor younger than Cavill to portray the role of Superman.
Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.
This bit of information is not a lot to work with. However, here are 7 young actors who boast the star power, acting skill, and physical appearance to potentially take on the role of a young Superman.
Austin Butler
(Warner Bros.)
Austin Butler is an actor on the rise in Hollywood after his electric performance as Elvis Presley in the 2022 biopic Elvis. In addition to Elvis, he has starred in The Shannara Chronicles and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. He is slowly starting to be picked up by big franchises and blockbusters, too, as he will star in Dune: Part Two in 2023. In addition to being a trending and talented actor, he boasts the looks of Superman. At 6’0” with chiseled features, hair that can be dyed black, and piercing blue eyes, he is the spitting image of a young Superman. Fan art has already highlighted how natural he would look in the Superman suit. At 31, he may be veering on the older side for the role, but he can still pass for a young man in his 20s for a few years. Plus, fans are already putting in a good word for him with Gunn.
Jacob Elordi
(Warner Bros.)
Another fan favorite that has arisen for the role of young Superman is Jacob Elordi. While he has less of an expansive resume than Butler, he is also a trending actor who has found star power among the younger generation. His roles in The Kissing Booth trilogy and Euphoria have given him a whirlwind rise to fame. Plus, the fact that he’s 25, has chiseled features, and stands at 6’5” also adds to his appeal as Superman. He is a perfect age, has the fan power, and looks for Superman, but, given his relatively fresh career, it’s unclear if he would have the acting prowess to take on a role like Superman.
Y’all might tear me apart for this one but… imagine a Superman Year One film. But it’s like his first week as #Superman. Vibrant colors & a lighter tone similar to Christopher Reeve’s films. I could imagine someone like Jacob Elordi pulling this off well. pic.twitter.com/yq7qfqixcu
Wolfgang Novogratz is another name that has come up in the discussion of who could be a young Superman. Like Elordi, he is another actor who has gained momentum and popularity with younger audiences. He is known for starring in Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, Yes, God, Yes, and The Half of It. Novogratz may not have the star power of some other choices on this list, but his experience in the coming-of-age genre could help him fit in well with the role of a fledging young superhero. At 6’3” with a fit physique and chiseled features, he also looks the part of Superman.
David Corenswet
(Netflix)
While many fans tapped Elordi as Superman, many also mentioned David Corenswet’s name alongside his.
There are, I think, two young actors who are most likely to play the new Superman (if they go with a standard white guy Superman) Jacob Elordi and his Frank Quitely style chin Or David Corenswet and his Curt Swan style chin pic.twitter.com/EIiv28VJX6
Corenswet has been active on the Hollywood scene for over a decade now. He boasts credits in such works as Look Both Ways, Hollywood, and We Own This City. However, he is still in need of a breakthrough role, and Superman could be that for him. Meanwhile, he has the acting skills for the job with his impressive performance in Hollywood, combined with the fact that he started off performing in theatre and has been acting since he was a child. At 29, he is the right age for the role and also boasts Superman’s characteristics with his chiseled chin, blue eyes, jet black hair, and a height of 6’4”. It’s just unclear if DC would take a chance an on actor who hasn’t yet had his breakthrough.
Eli Goree
(Amazon Studio)
Eli Goree is another name that arose quickly when it was revealed that DCU was looking for a young Superman. His name had already been in the running for Superman after it was announced Ta-Nehisi Coates was developing a Superman reboot centered on Calvin Ellis. However, young Superman offers another perfect role for the young actor. The award-winning actor has starred in Riverdale, The Peripheral, and One Night in Miami. Needless to say, he has proven that he boasts incredible talent in a wide range of genres. At 6’2,” 28 years of age, and the physique to portray a professional boxer, he is an excellent choice for Superman.
Adam DiMarco
(Warner Bros.)
Adam DiMarco is another actor on the rise who bears a resemblance to Superman. He is most well-known for starring in Pillow Talk and The White Lotus. DiMarco isn’t the most prominent actor in Hollywood, but his roles in Disney channel originals like Radio Rebel and Zapped gained him a large fanbase. DiMarco also boasts an uncanny physical resemblance to Superman, plus charisma and acting skills. At roughly 31 years old, he is a strong candidate for a young Superman, and the role could give him his much-needed official breakthrough.
Fionn Whitehead
(Warner Bros.)
Fionn Whitehead only recently entered the film industry, kicking off his debut as the lead protagonist in the critically acclaimed Christopher Nolan film, Dunkirk. While the first film he starred in gained eight Academy Awards, he has gone on to star in Emily and the upcoming Great Expectations film. At 25 years old, his breakthrough in Dunkirk was unexpected and impressive. It wouldn’t be surprising for some big franchises to be casting their eyes on the relative newcomer, Whitehead, for future roles.
David Alvarez
(20th Century Studios)
At age 28, David Alvarez is a relative newcomer to Hollywood, with his most significant acting credit being his role as Bernardo in the 2021 musical, West Side Story. Aside from West Side Story, Alvarez has only appeared in short films. However, he has been acting his whole life and was one of the youngest actors to receive a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for his stint as Billy Elliot in Billy Elliot the Musical. Nabbing his first feature film debut in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is the only testimony needed for his acting skills. He’s also the right age for Superman, in physical shape for the role, and has the necessary experience and skill.
The strangest little corner of the DC Universe has survived all the mass chaos over at WB/Discovery. That would be Titans and Doom Patrol, two refugee series from the DC Universe streaming service which was turned into a comic thing and its shows fled to HBO Max.
Titans is a gritty version of Teen Titans that has attracted a surprisingly large audience over the last few years, and remains one of the most in-demand comics series out there. Doom Patrol is easily the most absurd comic show in existence, even considering the likes of Harley Quinn and Peacemaker, an R-rated comedy that everyone, critics and fans, seem to love for its weirdness.
Now, both shows are about to return for their respective season 4s. We have release dates, and we have trailers. Albeit one shows a lot more than the other.
Titans season 4’s release date is November 3 on HBO Max, just a few weeks from now. HBO just released this new trailer teasing the season, which reveals that the villain the crew is facing this time is Brother Blood, a famed baddie in Teen Titans lore.
Meanwhile, Doom Patrol season 4’s release date is December 8, and features uh, carnivorous butts, which we’ve seen previously. And a lot more footage than Titans’ Brother Blood spot, without giving too much away:
Both of these shows are being broken up into two parts for season 4, where the first half will start now, and the second half will air some time in 2023. This is kind of unusual for these series, but with 10-13 episode seasons, they are longer than some similar superhero productions, so maybe that’s a factor.
DC’s TV content strategy is nearly as all over the place as its movie strategy, but I’d argue it’s going quite a bit better. I didn’t love last season of Titans, but it has its fanbase. Doom Patrol is always great. Harley Quinn and Peacemaker are fantastic. A Penguin series out of The Batman universe sounds promising, and an Arkham show may be coming later. Literally only one piece of all that is directly connected to the DCEU (Peacemaker) and I think the lineup is better for that. Over on film, we’re about the get the launch of Black Adam as The Rock attempts to change the power dynamics of the DC universe, and projects like The Flash and Aquaman 2 remains plagued with issues via their real-life actors.
I’m certainly looking forward to the return of Titans and Doom Patrol, and we don’t have long to wait now. Stay tuned.
