Who is Hollywood's Newest Man of Steel, David Corenswet?

David Corenswet as the new Superman — Instagram/@jscomicart)

IS IT A BIRD? Is it a plane? No, it’s a new Superman. And one that the world has eagerly been waiting for since DC Studios’ mass exodus of 2022. If you’re a bit fuzzy on the details, filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran, who run the Warner Bros. Discovery division, late last year essentially told Henry Cavill to hang up his cape, along with other DC actors in The Rock (Black Adam) and Leslie Grace (Batgirl), as DC set sail for a complete reboot in 2023 and beyond.

“Peter and I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told and in the audience itself and there would be an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation and gaming,” Gunn tweeted last December.

So wait… who’s playing Superman in the upcoming Superman: Legacy film? Good question, and one the editors at Esquire have been asking all morning: who exactly is the newest Man of Steel, David Corenswet?

Let’s find out.

David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Clark Kent and Lois Lane — Getty

Is Henry Cavill playing the new Superman?

The question on everyone’s DC mind — no, he’s not. Despite previously confirming his return following a cameo in Black Adam, Henry Cavill will no longer play Superman. As revealed in The Hollywood Reporter, David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan will star as Clark Kent (aka Superman) and Lois Lane in James Gunn’s 2025 film, Superman: Legacy — the film that will launch DC’s “reset” under Gunn and Safran.

With few roles in the superhero world (and Hollywood, for that matter) as pivotal as ‘Superman’, newcomer Corenswet definitely has big tights to fill. Played by only three actors in the character’s existence — Christopher Reeve’s sparked his career-defining work in 1978’s Superman; Brandon Routh starred in a lacklustre Superman Returns (2006); and Henry Cavill nobly played supes four times before getting the sack — Gun and Safran are now on the trajectory to reboot the DC Universe for a young and fresh feel, including a much younger-looking Superman. Much like what Marvel has done with Spiderman, when they cast Tom Holland as the webbed hero in 2016.

Accurate! (They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people). https://t.co/1FtwYIDeYj
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) June 27, 2023

What has David Corenswet starred in previously?

Corenswet’s resume includes appearances on the TV series The Politician, the Netflix series, Hollywood, as well as other credits including HBO series We Own This City and A24 horror sequel Pearl. He’s also set to appear in the Apple series Lady in the Lake and Twister sequel, Twisters. No doubt, come the release of Superman: Legacy, Corenswet will, for better or for worse, be one of the most talked about actors in Hollywood.

Brosnahan, on the other hand, who is set to star as Clark Kent’s love interest Lois Lane, is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner, taking home the award for her acclaimed series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She has also appeared in the smash-hit House of Cards, a performance which earned her an Emmy nomination. More recently, she starred opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in The Courier, as well as alongside Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe in the 2022 western, Dead For a Dollar.

What is the new Superman movie about?

Considered to be largely an origin story, Safran mentioned earlier this year that the film “focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”