Look up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Superman’s origin story! The beginnings of the Man of the Steel have been told many times over the years, but that will no longer be the case with Superman: Legacy.
On his BlueSky social media page, DC Studios co-head James Gunn confirmed the upcoming movie is skipping the tale of how Superman came to be. “I think we’ve seen his origin enough in film at this time,” he said in response to a fan who asked about the possibility of using the All-Star Superman storyline as a launchpad for fleshing out the character.
With this, the filmmaker is following in the footsteps of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Spider-Man: Homecoming in forgoing the “tragic origin story of the hero”, which should spell great news for fans. There have been many recounts of how the Last Son of Krypton comes to Earth, and the time has come to move on and shift to focus to other narrative aspects.
Superman: Legacy will take flight on 11 July 2025, and serves to kick off the first chapter in Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe, titled Gods and Monsters. David Corenswet (Look Both Ways, Pearl) is set to play Clark Kent, while Rachel Brosnahan (I’m Your Woman, The Courier) has been cast as Lois Lane. Gunn is doubling up as director.
Corenswet joins three other actors in portraying the Man of Steel. Most recently was Henry Cavill, who made his debut as the caped hero in Man of Steel (2013) and in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Cavill went on to star in Justice League (2017) and made a cameo in Black Adam (2022). Christopher Reeve famously played the character in 1978’s Superman, which spawned three sequels. Brandon Routh then took over the role in 2006 in Superman Returns.
Alongside Superman: Legacy, numerous other DC Universe (DCU) movies and shows are currently in active development, including Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, The Authority, Paradise Lost, The Brave and the Bold, Booster Gold, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Swamp Thing. All of these projects will be clearly labelled as either part of the DCU, or part of ‘DC Elseworlds’, which refers to content that falls outside the mainstream continuity.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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