Rachel Brosnahan Is 'Stalking' Journalists To Become Superman: Legacy's Lois Lane
In 2022, after a decade of trying to keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and largely failing, Warner Bros. and DC decided a drastic course correction was required. The first step was to wind down the so-called DC Extended Universe or DCEU, and bid its chief architect, Zack Snyder, adieu. But even the shuttering of this ill-fated cinematic project proved to be a bit of a mess.
At the start of 2023, Warner Bros. found itself in the unenviable position of having announced the end of the DCEU with four movies tied to that on-screen universe still to release. Meanwhile, James Gunn and producer Peter Safran took over as co-heads of the newly-dubbed DC Studios and announced the DC Universe — a totally different project to the DCEU that may or may not have a few of the old characters popping up from time to time.
Sound confusing? Well, it was, especially when you add in the shenanigans of 2023, which included everything from The Rock pretending his "Black Adam" movie was a bonafide hit when it clearly wasn't to the debacle that was "The Flash" and its superheroic box office failure. As such, it's best not to dwell on it for too long and instead look toward the bright future that the launch of Gunn's DC Universe will surely bring. That launch will come with "Superman: Legacy," the director's upcoming Man of Steel flick currently set for a 2025 release. A whole new cast is set to help usher in this new age of DC and Superman, with a film that sounds as though it will be the complete opposite of the Snyderverse's stodgy gloom. While there's still a way to go before "Legacy" arrives, it seems new Lois Lane actor Rachel Brosnahan is already fully committed to her role.
Rachel Brosnahan is taking the journalism thing seriously
Back in June 2023 it was announced that David Corenswet had been cast as the lead in "Superman: Legacy," while "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" actress Rachel Brosnahan would be portraying Lois Lane. Since then, we've learned Nicholas Hoult will be playing Lex Luthor and that James Gunn will, mercifully, be sparing us yet another superhero origin story with "Legacy," instead choosing to focus on a young Clark Kent as he navigates Metropolis. No doubt Lois Lane will figure into that experience pretty heavily, though specific plot details are yet to be unveiled beyond the fact that Kal-El will struggle to reconcile his Kryptonian origins with his Kansas upbringing.
Still, however Lois fits into that story, it will no doubt involve a lot of the journalism for which the character is known. Clark Kent's fellow Daily Planet reporter and longtime love interest was famously portrayed by Margot Kidder in Richard Donner's 1978 effort "Superman" and its three sequels, and has since been played on the big screen by Kate Bosworth and Amy Adams. Now, however, it's Brosnahan's turn, and it seems she's taking the job seriously.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly on the red carpet at the delayed 2023 Emmy Awards in January 2024, Brosnahan revealed that she's in full prep mode, saying, "I'm stalking my journalist friends right now. I'm just trying to understand a little bit more deeply kind of how that mindset works." Brosnahan also spoke about being inspired by Margot Kidder's performance in the Christoper Reeve-led Superman films, adding, "There's not a lot of women in these universes anyway. It was nice to see somebody onscreen who felt as ambitious as I felt as a younger woman."
Rachel Brosnahan is saying all the right things
It'll be interesting to see how much Lois Lane features in "Superman: Legacy," mainly because James Gunn has to introduce us all to a new Superman while supposedly packing in a whole host of other superheroes, and all alongside the debut of Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor. Just how much journalism Lois Lane will be doing between all that remains unclear, but based on Rachel Brosnahan's prep work it sounds like it will be a big part of her storyline.
More importantly, it sounds like Brosnahan and her fellow cast and crew are giving Superman a much-needed overhaul with "Legacy," while preserving the best of what's worked in the past. Speaking to the AP about the film, the actress said:
"From James [Gunn] to Peter Safran and everyone at DC and David [Corenswet] we're all just nerds for this stuff and there's so much love and care that's being taken to make the film that honors the source material and also justifies making another one."
That's pretty much exactly what we needed to hear in the wake of the Snyderverse's shuttering. Richard Donner, whose reverent treatment of Supes back in the '70s set the gold standard for not just films based on the Man of Steel, but arguably superhero films in general, certainly wasn't a fan of the DCEU's gloomy take on the character. Now, with the DCEU having unceremoniously drawn to a close, it feels like, more than ever, we should heed the advice of the late filmmaking great and restore Superman to greatness with a suitably respectful representation of this ultimate hero. Thankfully, judging by Brosnahan's comments, it sounds like that's pretty much what we're getting.