With James Gunn's press duties for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally complete, he's now shifting his full attention to his next directorial effort - and the first movie of the new DCU - Superman: Legacy, which will be a complete reboot of the character/franchise, and hits theaters in just over two years, on July 11, 2025.

The script, which Gunn also wrote, is complete, and the casting process is now in full swing, which today's article from Deadline details (below), naming a few actors up for various parts (though, be sure that many more names are in the mix). So far, the confirmed roles are, of course, Clark Kent/Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor (who may potentially evolve into "Apex Lex," with the aim of casting a big A-lister), Jimmy Olsen... and Krypto the dog (who I seriously doubt is "super" in this iteration, and will likely simply be either the Kent's or Clark's dog). Gunn has also confirmed that a cast member from the GOTG movies will also have a role in the movie, though I'd be surprised if it's one of the main actors, and Gunn has said the role isn't from the comics.

Re: the Clark Kent/Superman role, Gunn recently said...

Quote:

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"It's hard, but we're looking. We actually have some really great choices which I'm excited about, but it has to be somebody who has all the humanity that Superman has, but he's also an alien. It has to be someone who has the kindness and compassion Superman has, and it has to be somebody you want to give a hug. All the Supermen have been good, we just have to add to that story."

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Filming is scheduled to start in January, so I would expect all major roles to be cast this summer, with possible announcements coming at Comic-Con on July 22 (assuming news isn't leaked prior, and assuming the writer's strike doesn't interfere).

Finally, the official synopsis, which gives me all kinds of confidence that Gunn is the right man for the job...

Quote:

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"Superman: Legacy tells the story of Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned."

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'Superman: Legacy' Audition Process Gears Up As James Gunn Dives Into The Search To Find The Next Clark Kent, Lois Lane And Lex Luthor https://t.co/Hl9TxdD5Ht pic.twitter.com/YYpVJhq6Wp

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 13, 2023

If they don't give my girl Mrs. Maisel the role of Lois Lane... I will boycott this movie for at least 48 hours

Bring back Cavill you ****ing cowards

I wouldn't be surprised if the Guardians actor would be his brother.

Lex Luther has been portrayed by 2 big name actors - Gene Hackman (my favorite in the role by far) and Kevin Spacey. While I was not as hating on Jesse Eisenberg as most were, I think that role needs to be a more mature actor to capture a man of Luther's stature.

That guy SP linked as the leader for Supes looks like a poor man's Cavill.

Brosnahan would be so perfect for Lois that now I'm going to be upset if the don't cast her.

And yeah, my initial guess for the GOTG-Superman overlap actor is his brother but that also seems too obvious.

Really looking forward to a good Lex after that Eisenberg nonsense.

FL_Ag1998 said:

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That guy SP linked as the leader for Supes looks like a poor man's Cavill.

Brosnahan would be so perfect for Lois that now I'm going to be upset if the don't cast her.

And yeah, my initial guess for the GOTG-Superman overlap actor is his brother but that also seems too obvious.

Really looking forward to a good Lex after that Eisenberg nonsense.

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This is where I'm at. She never even crossed my mind and now I suddenly won't accept anyone else.

I just informed my wife that Superman is being rebooted and that Cavill is out.

Her only comment was: "Is the new person going to have Henry Cavill's body?"

Of course, Im built better than him but I guess she likes a little variety with her eye candy now and then.

So they fired Henry Cavill to hire... store brand Henry Cavill?

I'm guessing they wanted a younger actor and to start fresh?

They should frankly recast everyone. It's going to be confusing as heck whenever old actors interact with new actors and we're not sure what's canon anymore.

No Cavill No Bueno!

To answer a few questions I'll try and explain the situation as best and as concisely as I can...

When Discovery bought Warner Bros last year, one of the mandates from Discovery CEO, David Zaslov, was to better utilize/maximize the DC characters across film and TV. As new all know, the DCEU - aka "the Snyder-verse" - was on the downslide financially, had an overall negative stigma, and felt incredibly disjointed. So, Zaslov cleaned house and brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to run DC. Gunn and Safran then decided that the best course of action was to simply wipe the slate clean and reboot the DCEU as the DCU. For a time, we thought that meant that none of the DCEU would survive, but it's now looking like that's not totally the case, as it appears that a few remnants from the DCEU will remain, including Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, the Peacemaker franchise, possibly Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, and maybe even Ezra Miller's Flash, but no one knows for sure. What we do know is that The Flash will be the movie that resets the entire universe, in multi-verse fashion, allowing an "organic" way for the new DCU to come into being... while also leaving the door open for a few old DCEU characters to potentially stick around. Basically, think of it as, like, 95% of the DCEU being rebooted, with room for a few old characters to stick around. Kind of sort of like how J.K. Simmons came over into the MCU, still playing J. Jonah Jameson, but a slightly different version of him. Likely something along those lines.

In particular, Zaslov felt that Superman - DC's crown jewel - was being wasted, and instead of keeping Cavill in the role, Gunn and Safran felt it best to use a new Superman as the jumping off point for the new DCU. Gunn had an idea for a movie, so he wrote the script, and fell in love with the project so much that he decided to direct it as well. As for the Cavill of it all, I know how much some people liked him in the role, but it sounds like the main goal of the new DCU is to be far more optimistic, and offer far more hope, than the dark, drab universe Snyder created. While Cavill certainly looked the part, probably more than any Superman actor ever will, that iteration of the character was just a little too dour and stoic for many people's taste, and again, for what Gunn wants to do with this new universe. So what Gunn is doing instead is going back to the roots of the character, and attempting to give audiences a Superman who displays more warmth and heart, and can be more kind, inspiring, uplifting, colorful, etc. Which I don't fault Gunn for that at all, as that feels like what the character *should* ultimately be. Personally, I think Gunn is going to surprise a lot of people, to the point where this new version of the character will become the quintessential version, but we shall see...

If I'm keeping any previous characters it's Gal Gadot. And I'm not keeping Momoa although I like him in most everything. He's just not Aquaman to me.

While Davis is a great actress, she's completely wasted here and easily replaceable. They are overpaying her for this role. All she does is give orders and be angry. Anyone can do that.

I don't think there's ever been a bigger rise and fall so quickly in movies as what DC/Jenkins did with Wonder Woman