‘Superman: Legacy’ Movie: The Cast, Release Date and More – Hollywood Life

‘Superman: Legacy’ Movie: Nicholas Hoult Is Playing Lex Luthor & Everything Else You Need to Know

Nicholas Hoult is entering his villain era. 'Superman: Legacy' has found its Lex Luthor. Here are all the latest updates about the film.

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Nicholas Hoult
Image Credit: Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com/Shutterstock

Superman will be returning to the big screen in 2025. As the DC Universe starts a new chapter, the Man of Steel will play a pivotal role. Superman: Legacy announced in late June 2023 that David Corenswet is the lucky actor who’s been chosen to play Superman on the big screen. Furthermore, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Rachel Brosnahan has been cast as Lois Lane. More cast members have been added to the cast over the last few months, including Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

So what else do we know about the new movie? From the release date to the cast, here’s everything you need to know to get up to speed about Superman: Legacy.

‘Superman: Legacy’ Release Date

Superman: Legacy is currently expected to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. That’s a couple of years down the road, but the movie has yet to start filming. Filming is expected to start in 2024.

Who Is Playing Superman In ‘Superman: Legacy’?

The role of Superman was given to David Corenswet. David notably starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician, which premiered in 2019. He went on to work with Murphy again in the Netflix limited series Hollywood. The actor starred alongside Mia Goth in the A24 hit Pearl.

David Corenswet
David Corenswet at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. (Shutterstock)

He recently starred in the HBO limited series We Own This City and will star alongside Natalie Portman in the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake. David was cast in the Twister sequel with Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

‘Superman: Legacy’ Cast: Who Is Playing Lois Lane?

Three well-known actresses auditioned for the role of Lois Lane, Superman’s love interest. As we noted, Rachel Brosnahan landed the role, but below, you’ll see all who auditioned for the role.

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan
Rachel Brosnahan at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. (Shutterstock)

Rachel Brosnahan just wrapped a 5-season run as Midge Maisel in Prime Video’s hit The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which earned her the 2018 Emmy for

During her May 2023 appearance on The View, Rachel reacted to the Lois Lane rumors. “Look, it would be extraordinary. I grew up watching Lois Lane, this incredibly talented journalist, who is far from a damsel in distress, and I would jump at the chance if it arose,” she said.

Phoebe Dynevor

Phoebe Dynevor
Phoebe Dynevor at the Critics’ Choice Awards. (Shutterstock)

Phoebe Dynevor is one of Hollywood’s recent breakout stars. She became a household name playing Daphne Bridgerton in Netflix’s megahit series Bridgerton. She recently earned critical acclaim for her performance in the Netflix film Fair Play.

Emma Mackey

Emma Mackey rose to fame playing Maeve Wiley in the Netflix series Sex Education. She recently played author Emily Brontë in the film Emily. Emma starred alongside Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. She played Physicist Barbie. 

Who Else Is Starring In Superman: Legacy?

Nicholas Hoult will play Lex Luthor, Superman’s #1 enemy, according to Variety. The actor was originally in the running to play the Man of Steel, but he’s taking a step over into the dark side.

Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult is playing Lex Luthor. (Yvonne Tnt/BFA.com/Shutterstock)

Nicholas is no stranger to the world of comic books coming to the big screen. He notably played Hank McKoy/Beast in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix. His other major movies include Mad Max: Fury Road, The Favourite, The Menu, and About A Boy. He recently wrapped a 3-season run as Peter III in the critically acclaimed Hulu series The Great, alongside Elle Fanning.

The actor opened up to The Guardian about how he screen-tested for Matt Reeves’ Batman but lost the role to Robert Pattinson. He also didn’t get a role in Top Gun: Maverick. He was cast in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One as the main villain but had to drop out due to his obligations to The Great.

DC Studios revealed more Superman: Legacy cast members to Vanity Fair on July 11. Nathan Fillion will play Guy Gardner, one of the Green Lanterns. Nathan previously voiced a different Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, in animated DC projects. Nathan is best known for the TV shows FireflyCastle, and The Rookie. He worked with James Gunn on the movies Slither, The Suicide Squad, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Nathan Fillion
Nathan Fillion (Photo: Matt Baron/Shutterstock)

Edi Gathegi has been cast as Mr. Terrific. Edi appeared in the Twilight movies and played Darwin in X-Men: First Class. He currently stars in the Apple TV+ series For All Mankind.

Isabel Merced has been cast as Hawkgirl. She played Dora in the 2019 film Dora and the Lost City of Gold. She’ll appear in Madame Web and in the upcoming Alien movie.

Isabel Merced
Isabel Merced (Photo: Earl Gibson III/Shutterstock)

What Will ‘Superman: Legacy’ Be About?

The DC Universe has had an overhaul over the last year. James Gunn, who directed the beloved Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel, has stepped in to become the co-CEO of DC Studios alongside Peter Safran. In January 2023, James laid out his vision for the future of the DC Universe and directly addressed Superman: Legacy.

Henry Cavill
Henry Cavill as Superman. (Warner Bros./Everett Collection)

James revealed at the time that he was in the process of writing the film. He called Superman: Legacy the “true beginning of the DCU.”

Peter teased Superman’s journey in the new film with The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s not an origin story,” Peter stressed. “It 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 that kindness is old-fashioned.”

James admitted he was intrigued to tackle Superman’s story because of how it closely relates to his own life. “I completely relate to Superman because he’s everything I am,” James told THR. “He’s somebody who is an outsider who feels like an alien, but also the ultimate insider, because he’s fucking Superman. And that’s kind of like what I feel like.”

James confirmed he would be directing Superman: Legacy via a series of tweets. “Yes, I’m directing Superman: Legacy to be released on July 11, 2025. My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, ‘Dude, it’s Dad’s birthday.’ I hadn’t realized,” James began. The director revealed that he turned down directing Superman. years ago and was initially hesitant to direct this time around.

“Just because I write something doesn’t mean I feel it in my bones, visually and emotionally, enough to spend over two years directing it, especially not something of this magnitude,” he tweeted. “But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey. #UpUpandAway.”