Henry Cavill's Superman Replacement Actor Gets Officially Announced

After a long search, James Gunn's Superman: Legacy has found its replacements for Henry Cavill's Superman and Amy Adams' Lois Lane.

Under a year ago, Cavill was set to come back as Superman with a new lease on life, but that was all thrown out with the reboot announcement and confirmation a younger actor will take on the role for Superman: Legacy.

The search for the next Superman has been a long one with plenty of rumors, with Gunn "blown away" by the auditions for the leading roles which included six actors for Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

The DCU Finds Its Superman

According to a new report from Deadline, James Gunn has found his Clark Kent and Lois Lane to lead Superman: Legacy, who will take over the leading roles from the DCEU's Henry Cavill and Amy Adams.

After a long audition process that culminated in screen tests involving six actors, the rebooted DCU has found its Superman in 29-year-old David Corenswet - a popular fan cast for the role due to his classic Clark Kent appearance.

Corenswet's filmography includes the slasher-horror movie Pearl and Netflix comedy-drama The Politician, with his next role ahead of Superman: Legacy coming with the 2024 disaster epic Twister.

The role of Lois Lane will seemingly go to Emmy-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan, 32, best known for her five-season run in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, with her reportedly having given the best audition of the bunch.

DC Studios co-CEO and Superman: Legacy director James Gunn shared The Hollywood Reporter's coverage of the news on Twitter, confirming the two castings are "accurate," praising the acting and character of the pair:

"Accurate! (They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people)."

According to reports, the other two leading contenders for Superman were Tom Brittney and Nicholas Hoult, while Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor lost out on the role of Lois Lane.

What Comes Next for Superman: Legacy?

So, what comes next in James Gunn's Superman: Legacy process? Well, Gunn still has plenty more roles to cast, with Lex Luthor and Jimmy Olsen seemingly next up after three actors were reported for the iconic Superman villain.

Obviously, there will be plenty more side characters and villains to find on top of that, but another important job comes with finding the members of The Authority - a team of superheroes who will reportedly debut in Superman: Legacy before spinning out into their own DCU movie.

In the coming weeks and months, Gunn will continue to find more actors to round out Superman: Legacy's cast, with the potential to see more names announced at San Diego Comic-Con at the end of July - provided DC Studios attends given Marvel Studios has opted out of the event.

Why James Gunn Picked Corenswet and Brosnahan

James Gunn explained to Variety during the casting process for Superman: Legacy that he was looking for an actor who can embody the humanity, alienness, kindness, and compassion of the Man of Steel, all while being "somebody that you'd want to give you a hug:"

"It has to be somebody who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and compassion that Superman has. And it has to be somebody that you’d want to give you a hug. You know, all the Supermen have been good, so we just have to add to that story."

Clearly, David Corenswet embodied all those traits during the audition process, and he just so happens to look exactly like the classic Superman appearance - which will likely only be furthered in the coming months as the actor packs on some muscle before filming begins in January 2024.

On the topic of Rachel Brosnahan, the actress has clearly proven her immense talent in leading five seasons of Amazon's successful The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which even bagged her an Emmy, two Golden Globes, and many more awards.

Part of the screen testing process likely involved pairing off Corenswet and Brosnahan, as the chemistry between the romantic leads of Clark Kent and Lois Lane will be integral to Superman: Legacy and the DCU going forward.

Superman: Legacy hits theaters on July 11, 2025.