Who will lead the way in James Gunn's Superman as he kickstarts a brand-new era for the Man of Steel and DC?
James Gunn will introduce his new DCU with Superman on July 11, 2025, which arrives with a star-studded cast that includes both the characters one would expect from a Man of Steel tale and those usually tied to a larger DC universe.
Every Confirmed & Reported Actor & Character in James Gunn's Superman
The full cast of James Gunn's Superman as confirmed so far is detailed below:
David Corenswet - Superman
David Corenswet will lead the way in the new DCU as Clark Kent/Kal-El, better known as Superman. The up-and-coming actor will take over the iconic red cape from DCEU star Henry Cavill, who was recast after a cameo in Black Adam.
The Superman synopsis promises the Man of Steel will be loyal to his comic self as the "embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way." Lois Lane actress Rachel Brosnahan also confirmed the new Superman will have a "sense of humor," something Cavill's version has been criticized as lacking.
Corenswet has previous credits in Pearl, Hollywood, and The Politician, but Superman will mark his first time leading a major blockbuster.
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Rachel Brosnahan - Lois Lane
Rachel Brosnahan will play the Daily Planet reporter and love interest Lois Lane in the new DCU. Gunn stated Superman will "revolve around" both Lois and Clark, confirming her to be one of the movie's two main characters.
Brosnahan is best known for her Emmy-winning performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, with The Blacklist and House of Cards among her other major credits.
Nicholas Hoult - Lex Luthor
Nicholas Hoult is set to play Superman's archnemesis Lex Luthor in the new DCU, a role he will take over from Jeese Eisenberg. In line with the DC villain's classic comic appearance, the English actor will even be going bald for the role.
Luthor is not expected to be the main villain of Superman; Gunn promised on Threads that this new version of the billionaire genius will be "different from anything you’ve seen before."
Hoult has appeared in Tolkien, X-Men: First Class, The Menu, and more. Having reportedly lost out on the heroic roles of Batman and Superman before, the British star finally found his place in the DC world as Luthor.
Nathan Fillion - Guy Gardner
Nathan Fillion will play arguably DC's third-most famous Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, in the upcoming Superman. He is expected to arrive with all the familiar features of DC's Emerald Knights, including the will-powered ring allowing him to create unique light-based constructs based on thought alone.
Guy Gardner may be the first Green Lantern to join the DCU, but he will soon be joined by Hal Jordan and John Stewart who will lead the way in Lanterns. It is unclear whether Fillion will reprise his hero for the Max original series.
Fillion leads the way as John Nolan in all six seasons of The Rookie, with other credits including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Firefly, and much more.
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Isabela Merced - Hawkgirl
Isabela Merced boards the DCU train as Kendra Saunders in Superman, better known as the Justice League's winged warrior Hawkgirl. Hailing from the planet Thanagar, the flying hero wields a legendary mace in battle against evil.
Her debut follows the appearance of Aldis Hodge as Hawkman in Black Adam, with his fate in the new DCU reboot unclear.
Merced was recently credited in Sony's disastrous Madame Web and she will soon join HBO's post-apocalyptic phenomenon with The Last of Us Season 2.
Anthony Carrigan - Metamorpho
Anthony Carrigan will play Metamorpho in Superman, a Justice League superhero otherwise known as the archeologist Rex Mason.
His abilities let him transform his body into different forms and compounds, allowing him to create all kinds of weapons and objects at will.
Carrigan previously joined the DC universe on Fox as Batman villain Victor Zsasz in Gotham, with other credits including Barry and Bill & Tedd Face the Music.
Edi Gathegi - Mr. Terrific
Edi Gathegi takes on the role of Michael Holt, a.k.a. Mr. Terrific, a super-genius and one of the smartest heroes in DC. Perhaps his greatest invention comes from his T-Spheres, a set of drones he utilizes in combat and other scenarios.
Gathegi had a previous superhero credit in X-Men: First Class as Darwin; he has also featured in For All Mankind, StartUp, and more.
María Gabriela de Faría - The Engineer
María Gabriela de Faría will play Angela Spica, a.k.a. the Engineer, a morally ambiguous character with genius-level intelligence and blood replaced with nano-tech that allows her to manipulate technology.
The Engineer is a member of The Authority, who will lead their own DCU ensemble movie soon. The team has been described in the past as the "anti-Justice League" as well as "cynical, brutally pragmatic superheroes" who are famously more brutal than the average heroes, going as far as to kill their enemies.
The Venezuelan actress played a major role in the Spanish Nickelodeon fantasy series Grachi and has also appeared in Deadly Class and The Exorcism of God.
Sara Sampaio - Eve Teschmacher
Sara Sampaio will play Lex Luthor's assistant Eve Teschmacher, a character who found her origins in the old Christopher Reeves movies instead of DC Comics.
The Portuguese model Sampaio is best known for being a Victoria's Secret Angel, but she also has acting credits in At Midnight, Wifelike, and more.
Skyler Gisondo - Jimmy Olsen
The Daily Planet photographer and Clark Kent's best friend Jimmy Olsen will be played in Superman by Skyler Gisondo.
27-year-old Gisondo previously appeared in Vacation, The Amazing Spider-Man, Booksmart, and the Night at the Museum trilogy.
Wendell Pierce - Perry White
Wendell Pierce was the latest actor cast to join the DCU in Superman, with the star set to play the Daily Planet's editor-in-chief, Perry White.
The actor, who replaces Man of Steel's Laurence Fishburne, is best known for his starring roles in Jack Ryan, Suits, and The Wire.
Terence Rosemore - Otis
Terence Rosemore will play Otis in Superman, who appears to be a new take on Lex Luthor's dimwitted henchman from the classic Christopher Reeves movies who was originally played by Ned Beatty.
Rosemore had minor roles under Gunn in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and 3 and has also appeared in Bosco, Haunted Mansion, and more.
Krypto the Superdog (All-But-Confirmed)
James Gunn has been open in the past about being a dog and animal lover, along with a fan of Krypto the Superdog, a canine-like alien from Krypton who develops powers akin to Superman. There was even an interview with Toronto Sun in which he jokingly suggested Star-Lord actor Chris Pratt could play the role.
Krypto has both been able and unable to talk across various interpretations, but it seems likely he won't be speaking in Superman. When Gunn jokingly offered the role to Pratt, he noted he would "do motion capture on set" but "can't talk," suggesting the DCU's Krypto would amount to a non-speaking CGI creation.
The inclusion of Krypto in Superman would be a logical move as he is also an important player in the Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow storyline, which the DCU is set to soon adapt into a blockbuster movie starring Milly Alcock.
Milly Alcock - Supergirl (Rumored)
Milly Alcock boarded the DCU as Kara Zor-El in January, with the actress set to lead the way in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. While outlets such as The Wrap stated she would debut in Superman before her solo flick, James Gunn refused to confirm as such on Threads, saying, "I never even said she was in the movie."
Upon announcing Woman of Tomorrow in January 2023, the DC Studios boss promised this Supergirl will be "much more hardcore" than past adaptations. This Girl of Steel was raised on a chunk of the destroyed planet Krypton and saw everyone around her die in "terrible ways" in her youth before arriving on Earth.
Alcock is most famous for her role as the young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the early episodes of the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon.
[ Supergirl Woman of Tomorrow Movie: Everything We Know So Far ]
Sean Gunn - Maxwell Lord (Rumored)
Sean Gunn, brother of the DC Studios co-CEO, was cast as the villain Maxwell Lord - a role he will take over from Wonder Woman 1984's Pedro Pascal. A report from Deadline stated Lord will be at least mentioned in Superman, but it's unclear whether Gunn will show up in a cameo appearance.
Maxwell Lord will mark the first live-action DCU role for Gunn, but he will play two voice roles in Creature Commandos as Weasel and G.I. Robot. He previously played the Ravager Kraglin in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Superman hits theaters on July 11, 2025.
