Chances are, when you hear the word superhero, the first name that pops into your head is Superman. Easily the face of DC Comics (sorry Batman), the story of Metropolis’s red-capped protector from the planet Krypton is universally known by fans both hardcore and casual, and a big reason for his popularity can easily be attributed to his history in cinema. Starting all the way back with Richard Donner‘s Superman (1978). The iconic interpretation of the character may be a bit dated and corny, but its lighthearted attitude that was accentuated by the infectiously charming Christopher Reeve, has made it stand the test of time as a true classic, even spawning a total of three sequels and a Supergirl (1984) spin-off.
Although technically it’s four sequels, Superman Returns (2006) functioned as a continuation of the Donner films whilst ignoring Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). While far from a horrible film, Superman Returns still performed under box office expectations and wasn’t able to capture the magic of the original films. Still, even the response to that film pales in comparison to that of Man of Steel (2013), which is easily the most polarizing and controversial Superman film to date. Fans of the film love Henry Cavill‘s more grounded take on the character and found the various action sequences to be visually stunning. However, the film’s critics felt that the film’s melodramatic tone missed the point of the Superman character and branded its wanton destruction as violence for the sake of violence. Things didn’t get much better for the DC Extended Universe’s Superman when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) also weren’t exactly warmly received.
Since then, Superman’s film future has been in a state of limbo. Man of Steel 2 was in development hell for who knows how long and whispers of a potential reboot starring Michael B. Jordan failed to come to fruition. Now, with new DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran mapping out a new plan for a connected DC Cinematic Universe, it’s no surprise that a new version of Superman is a part of that plan. Superman is the latest feature film to star Clark Kent, and represents the true start of DC’s new generation and the first part of what Gunn has titled the “Gods and Monsters” phase. With the film now in pre-production, it’s time to find out what Big Blue’s next adventure will be. Here’s everything we know so far about Superman.
Editor’s Note: This article was last updated on May 6, 2024.
Superman (2025)
Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.
- Release Date
- July 11, 2025
Does ‘Superman’ Have a Release Date?
It was confirmed during James Gunn’s address that an all-new, all-different Superman will be flying into theaters to save the day on Friday, July 11, 2025. That’s just one week after the Fourth of July, which seems appropriate for a hero whose motto historically has been “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” (which is weird given Superman is an alien created by Canadian authors, but hey, why not be a little patriotic?). While there have been doubts about whether the movie would make its announced date, James Gunn has confirmed that Superman is on schedule.
The movie will be competing against a crowded slate of movies in July 2025, including Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four reboot, Gareth Edwards‘ Jurassic World movie, The Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson, and a new comedy film from Kendrick Lamar and South Park creators Matt Stone & Trey Parker.
Will Superman Be Released on Streaming or in Theaters?
In that above announcement video, James Gunn also made it explicitly clear that Superman is being planned as a theatrical release for the year 2025. While it’s obviously pretty early to predict the film’s streaming plans, we can comfortably guess that the DCU’s debut feature film will follow suit with the other major recent DC movies and arrive on Max sometime after the film’s theatrical run.
Does ‘Superman’ Have a Trailer Yet?
Superman has no trailer since it is still in the process of filming. The video above is the announcement of the entire James Gunn DCU slate, including many of the titles we can expect to see over the next few years. Stay tuned as we await our first look at the next Superman film.
Do We Know Anything About the Plot for ‘Superman’?
We don’t know too much about the plot for Superman, and technically, neither does James Gunn, as he said he was only halfway through writing the film at the time of his “Gods and Monsters” announcement. We’ve known for a while that Gunn would be writing the film in addition to producing, and he did share a pretty significant detail. Unlike the original Superman and Man of Steel, Gunn has confirmed that Superman will not be an origin story. That means when this Superman takes to the skies, it won’t be the first time he’s done so, as he’ll already have some experience protecting Earth’s inhabitants as the costumed superhero. Recent cast announcements (more on that below) also suggest that this is already a world of heroes, with other iconic DC heroes apart from Superman set to appear in the film. However, that doesn’t mean this is some kind of sleeper Justice League movie as James Gunn has clarified that the focus of the story will very much be on Clark and Lois.
We’ll likely also see other popular Superman characters, with his lifelong love interest Lois Lane already confirmed to appear in the film. We expect the Daily Planet’s top reporter to play a pivotal role, especially when her photographer, Jimmy Olson, is also confirmed to appear. We also have confirmation that Superman‘s villain will be Angela Spica, aka The Engineer, which is quite a surprise. The Engineer is originally a Wildstorm character connected to the Authority, a group of anti-heroic superhumans who are set to get their own movie in the new DCU. Interestingly enough, the Engineer isn’t normally seen as a villainous character, so there could be more going on in this movie. Either way, it looks like Superman‘s plot could go a lot further toward setting up the new universe than previously thought.
Production Weekly shared the film’s plot in December 2023, which was later confirmed by Collider, which read:
“Clark Kent, a reporter in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.
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Who Will Star in ‘Superman’?
This is the big question, and we finally have some answers. On June 27, it was announced that David Corenswet (Pearl) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel) will play Superman and Lois Lane, respectively.
Early reports had suggested that Corenswet, Pierson Fodé (Bold and the Beautiful), and Nicholas Hoult (Renfield) were in the running to play the Man of Steel, with Hoult also potentially being up for the part of Lex Luthor, which later proved true with the actor now confirmed to play the sinister billionaire. We also heard that Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton), and Samara Weaving (Scream IV) were in the running to play Lois Lane. Several of these same actors also reportedly had screen tests at DC Studios. The fact that Superman was being recast had caused quite a bit of division among the fanbase because of how iconic Henry Cavill was in the role. Despite making a surprise appearance in Black Adam (2022), the announcement of Cavill’s return proved premature, as Gunn would go on to say that Cavill wasn’t fired. He just wasn’t hired.
As mentioned above, Superman will feature Angela Spica aka The Engineer as an antagonist. The character will be played by María Gabriela de Faría (Animal Control). A number of other exciting cast members have also been added to the project, most significantly Nathan Fillion (The Suicide Squad) as Green Lantern Guy Gardner. This casting has been a long time coming as Fillion was once considered to play the Hal Jordan version in the much-hated 2011 Green Lantern film. Fillion has also voiced Jordan in various animated projects. GL isn’t the only classic hero added to the cast, however, as Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) and Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) have also been cast in Superman, playing Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, respectively. While those heroes are all widely recognized (even Mr. Terrific), Superman will also be digging into slightly more obscure characters, with Barry‘s Anthony Carrigan cast as the criminally underrated elemental hero Metamorpho.
The rest of the cast of Superman includes Skyler Gisondo (Licorice Pizza) as the young Daily Planet employee, and Clark and Lois’ friend, Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio (At Midnight) as Lex Luthor’s right-hand woman Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemore (Outer Banks) as Lex’s henchman Otis, Wendell Pierce (The Wire) as Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White, Pruitt Taylor Vince (Deadwood) as Jonathan Kent, and Neva Howell (Novitate) as Martha Kent.
Also expected to make appearances in the movie are Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Maxwell Lord and Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) as Kara Zor-El/Supergirl.
Who Is Making ‘Superman’?
James Gunn has confirmed that he will be penning the script and directing Superman. Gunn’s journey with DC films began with him writing and directing The Suicide Squad (2021), which successfully rebooted the team of anti-heroes after a poorly received first installment. Costume Designer Judianna Makovsky (The Suicide Squad) and Cinematographer Henry Braham (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) have also joined the film. In a series of tweets, Gunn explained his love of the script and how he eventually landed on directing the film himself, saying:
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. But, the long and the short of it is, I love this script, and I’m incredibly excited as we begin this journey. #UpUpAndAway
Gunn’s history in comic book movies also began long before being the co-CEO of DC Studios. He also wrote and directed all three Guardians of the Galaxy films. Formerly titled Superman: Legacy, Gunn celebrated Superman’s birthday by taking to social media here he revealed our first look at Kal-El’s new suit.
The logo is reminiscent to what Superman wears in the DC event comic book, Kingdom Come—one of the most beloved stories in DC history.
On May 6, the first look at David Corenswet in costume as Superman, was unveiled by James Gunn on his Instagram.
Is ‘Superman’ Filming Yet?
In November 2023, it was revealed that filming for Superman would start in March 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. On March 6, 2024, Gunn revealed that the first scenes for Superman had been filmed in Norway. Gunn explained the location choice in an interview, saying:
”We have filmed the first scenes [in Svalbard], which show Superman fleeing to the Fortress of Solitude. We wanted a place that was beautiful and felt like being in the middle of the Arctic, so we looked at several places in the world. But there were many things that sold Svalbard for us over the other places. First, there is the natural beauty. But there’s also the fact that you’ll find a varied landscape here that you won’t find anywhere else. Nature gives a special feeling.”
On March 15, images of Maria Gabriela de Faria, on set and in costume as The Engineer made their way online.
Gunn has also revealed that Superman is being shot in its entirety using IMAX cameras.
