Superman: Legacy release date – latest news for James Gunn's DC movie

The casting news comes six months after reports swirled that Guardians of the Galaxy actor Bradley Cooper had turned down the part.

Superman: Legacy is set to follow Clark Kent during his former years as a hero, as he attempts to balance his career as a journalist with his responsibilitieies as the last son of Krypton.

The role of Superman was previously played by Henry Cavill, who started his tenure in 2013’s Man of Steel but won’t be returning for Gunn’s new movie.

Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan has been cast as Lois Lane, while Isabela Merced and Nathan Fillion have also joined the cast of the movie as new DC heroes.

Read on for everything we know so far about Superman: Legacy!

Superman: Legacy release date

Superman: Legacy will officially arrive in cinemas on 11th July 2025, meaning fans will still need to wait for a couple more years until they get to see the Man of Steel on the big screen once again.

The film will come after two TV projects on Gunn and Safran's slate - Creature Commandos and Waller - and will, according to Safran, really be the "launch of the DCU".

Who could be in the cast of Superman: Legacy?

While the role of Superman was previously portrayed by Henry Cavill, who first played the part in 2013's Man of Steel, the star won't be returning for Gunn's movie.

Instead, David Corenswet (The Politician) will be appearing in the title role.

After some to-ing and fro-ing as DC changed plans for its cinematic universe, Cavill posted on Instagram to say: "I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it's sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.

"After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build."

Meanwhile, Gunn said on Twitter: "In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

"But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."

Gunn also told Deadline once the new film had been announced that he didn't "fire" Cavill because he had never been cast in the film in the first place.

He explained: "We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast. He was in a cameo, and that was the end of his story. A lot of people made assumptions which weren’t true. But for me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman and who do the filmmakers want to cast.

"For me, for this story, it isn’t Henry. I like Henry. He’s a great guy. I think he’s gotten dicked around by a lot of people, including former regimes of this company. But this Superman isn’t Henry for a number of reasons."

As detailed above, Nicholas Hoult is reportedly in talks to star as the film's villain, Lex Luthor, according to Deadline.

Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan has been cast as Lois Lane, while Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will be Mister Terrific and Nathan Fillion will play a Green Lantern.

What will Superman: Legacy be about?

We know very little about the plot of Superman: Legacy at this point. What we do know is that the film will be written by James Gunn and that it will, according to DC's Twitter page, "focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing".

Gunn's recent Twitter post also suggest that the superhero's parents will be heavily involved in the film.

In a video posted to Twitter, Gunn explained that the film would be the "true beginning of the DCU", and that he is currently "having a great time" writing the script.

Meanwhile, Gunn and Safran also released some additional detail on the film together, with Safran saying: "(This) is really the launch of the DCU. The first two projects are an amuse-bouche for what’s coming up with Superman: Legacy.

"James is currently writing it. We’re hoping that he will direct it. It’s not an origin story. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned."

Meanwhile, Gunn added: "With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs. bad guy. There are really good – almost saintly – people and Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Joker. And then there’s everybody in between them, so there are all these shades of grey which allow us to tell complex stories."

Is there a trailer for Superman: Legacy?

There isn't a trailer available for the film just yet but you can watch James Gunn's announcement video, running through the first chapter of projects in the DCU, right here:

Superman: Legacy will be released in cinemas on 11th July 2025. Check out more of our Film and Sci-Fi coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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