David Corenswet Has Been Eyeing Superman Since 2019
One of the most intensive casting searches to come around in some time recently came to a close when it was revealed that David Corenswet, of "The Politician" and "Pearl" fame, will be playing our new Superman. The actor is set to take on the lead role in director James Gunn's "Superman: Legacy," taking over for Henry Cavill, who had been playing the role since 2013 beginning with Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel." Amazingly enough, the actor has actually been talking publicly about this being his dream role for a handful of years. The man somehow managed to manifest his dream into a reality.
Several years back when Corenswet was popping into the public consciousness on Netflix's "The Politician," people online were making comparisons to the American actor and Cavill. At the time, it was unclear whether or not Cavill was going to return as Superman following the "Justice League" situation, and this was long before his "Black Adam" cameo that ultimately amounted to nothing. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in 2019, Corenswet revealed that he was aware of the similarities between him and Cavill while also stating his desire to take on the role of Clark Kent himself. He said:
"It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me. But my pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman. I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic."
Indeed, "Man of Steel" rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Particularly the ending, which sees Superman killing General Zod. Things only got darker in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Justice League."
Lining up perfectly with James Gunn's vision
David Corenswet isn't interested in portraying the dark and gritty version of the DC Comics superhero. Fortunately, that seems to line up well with what Gunn has in mind. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" filmmaker, who is now the co-head of DC Studios alongside producer Peter Safran, hasn't revealed full plot details for "Superman: Legacy" just yet. He has, however, shared a window into his vision for the film, which promises a lighter version of the character than what we got from Snyder.
Speaking in January, Gunn and Safran revealed their first slate of projects as part of the new DC Universe, with "Superman: Legacy" serving as the first movie slated to arrive as part of the reboot. Gunn, in describing the film, assured that his Superman won't kill anybody, among other things. As he said:
"I really love the idea of Superman. He's a big ol' galoot. He's a farm boy from Kansas who's very idealistic. His greatest weakness is that he'll never kill anybody. He doesn't want to hurt a living soul. I like that sort of innate goodness about Superman; it's his defining characteristic."
Safran, for his part, also offered a little bit about the story at the time. He promised that it won't be an origin story and that it will showcase a kind Superman that represents truth and justice. Safran said:
"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."
So, not only did Corenswet manage to land his dream role, it sounds like he found a filmmaker who shares his version of what Superman should be.
"Superman: Legacy" is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2023.