‘Superman: Legacy’ BREAKING NEWS: David Corenswet One of Three Top Contenders To Play Superman; Lois Lane Shortlist Includes Emma Mackey and Three More; Nicholas Hoult Circles Lex Luthor Role
It may be Saturday but that doesn’t mean news stop in the movie business. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that casting for James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is heating up, with David Corenswet moving on to the screen test phase, along with two other actors.
Corenswet played the projectionist opposite Mia Goth in last year’s Pearl, but the other two actors are still unknown. British actors Tom Brittney and Andrew Richardson were apparently two of the people that the studio considered early on, but it’s unknown if any of them are still in the running. Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi, who many on social media fan-cast as the titular hero, never submitted himself. The screen test phase will begin late May/early June, so an announcement at San Diego Comic-Con could be doable.
Additionally, the shortlist of actresses for Lois Lane currently includes Emma Mackey (Sex Education and the upcoming Barbie) , Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton), and Samara Weaving (Scream VI), though not all of them are moving on to screen-testing, but had simply been in the mix at some point. Brosnahan, for instance, delivered an outstanding audition but she may be ruled out as, at 32, she is older than the targeted age range (Lois is supposed to be in her 20s in the script). One source described some of the names as “chatroom list”, while a studio insider noted that they are nowhere near a decision.
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- Emma Mackey, one of four contenders to play Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
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- Samara Weaving, one of four contenders to play Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
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- Rachel Brosnahan, one of four contenders to play Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
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- Phoebe Dynevor, one of four contenders to play Lois Lane in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy.
On the villain side, Nicholas Hoult seems to be all but done to play Lex Luthor, though the studio probably wants to cast the lead role first. Hoult has apparently been associated with the film for weeks, though most thought of him as Clark instead of Lex. And yet, Deadline‘s Justin Kroll disputed the scoop on Twitter arguing that Hoult is up for Clark Kent, not Lex Luthor:
Hoult is up Superman not Luthor https://t.co/JWz6PDlCBi
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) May 13, 2023
Despite that, though, Lex would actually make more sense. Previous bits of info from Jeff Sneider pointed to Gunn’s script featuring a Clark Kent in his early-to-mid 20s; Corenswet is 29, but he could pull off 26, while Hoult definitely looks more mature (he’s 33). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has been a massive fan of his since George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road. It’s almost been a running joke for him how many huge roles he’s missed over the past couple of years, from losing the lead in The Batman to Robert Pattinson, to dropping out of Mission: Impossible 7 due to a scheduling conflict with Hulu’s The Great, to losing a role during screen tests for Top Gun: Maverick. Hopefully, this time it will work out for him; the report doesn’t note that there are any other names in contention.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter is noting that other major DC roles could be filled in during the next few months, as the script also introduces many known DC heroes that are already well-established within this world. This is something that Gunn had previously confirmed, but it’s the first time we’re hearing about them possibly being in the movie. So don’t be surprised if we hear about the DCU Batman actor within the next six months.
As usual, Gunn couldn’t resist chipping in on Twitter, just to add that only one actor has been cast in the movie, and it isn’t any of the main three. (We assume it’s someone who moved over from his Guardians of the Galaxy crew.) Here’s what he said:
For all of you asking, I would never comment on who is or isn’t AUDITIONING for a role. That’s the actor’s business only & isn’t something I’d make public unless they did it first after the fact (like @GlennHowerton or @ZacharyLevi having auditioned for Star-Lord & being top…
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 13, 2023
Superman: Legacy is currently in pre-production, as James Gunn was able to turn in the script right before the WGA strike on May 2. Whether rewrites or punch-ups will be required, it’s unknown, but those for sure will not take place during the stoppage. However, other departments working on the film are still hard at work, as production is still intended to commence in January 2024. It’s unknown if, though assumed that Gunn is overseeing the entire process as the film’s director, simply stopping writing duties at the moment. It had been speculated, however, that he would be joining the picket lines in solidarity with the writers.
Superman: Legacy is targeting a July 11, 2025, release.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
