Superman might be well-known as the archetype for the modern superhero, but the mythos of the Last Son of Krypton also includes that of his significant other – Lois Lane – and together, the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane has also grounded the celebrity couple, from the funny books, the various TV shows exploring truth and justice, and the many film incarnations of the Man of Steel.
So it’s no surprise that beyond finding the right actor to don the cape of the Man of Tomorrow, director and DC Studios co-chairman and co-CEO, James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad), also had to find the right actress to play Superman’s long-time girlfriend.
With his chiselled good looks, tall frame and distinct likeness to the dark hair and blue eyes of Superman, it came as little surprise that 31-year-old David Corenswet (Hollywood, Twisters) was cast as Kal-El, the Kryptonian alien sent to Earth as a baby. Meanwhile, 34-year-old Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) reportedly beat out the likes of Emma Mackey, Phoebe Dynevor, and Samara Weaving, to play the world famous female reporter of The Daily Planet, Lois Lane.
One key difference in this incarnation of the characters is the foregoing of the hero origin story, where Superman is new but already famous, where Lane and Kent are dating, and she knows that her boyfriend isn’t from Kansas.
And in a key scene that was previewed in the trailer for the movie, Lane can be seen interviewing Superman in his Clark Kent persona. And what amounted to 10 to 12 minutes in the film, took two days to film, shared Gunn, who along with Corenswet, Brosnahan and his co-chair Peter Safran, were in Manila, Philippines, for the first leg of the world tour for the upcoming movie.
“I knew you guys were probably going to do it because that was what you auditioned with,” he said of his movie leads to the audience at the press conference.
“But when we did it and you came in, you killed it. You had gotten even better from the screen test.”
Reflecting on their performances, Gunn was effusive. “It’s magical and wonderful to see these two characters, who we love so much from the comics, movies, TV, and cartoons, become real, flesh-and-blood people. You took everything so seriously and treated them with the respect that I think we all wanted. It was just an amazing thing.”
And while there have been several earlier iterations of the characters on the big screen, Gunn and his team are promising a film that brings a fresh, contemporary perspective.
A lifelong Superman fan, Gunn revealed his deep connection to the character, and how his version would honour the character’s legacy. “I started reading Superman comics when I was three to four years old. I wanted to create the feeling I had as a young child in a film that both children and adults could enjoy, where it is this other universe, but then still grounded with real stakes, real people who have issues and relationship problems.”
And by focusing on Superman’s early heroic journey rather than repeat the origin that audiences are already familiar with, it allowed Corenswet to dive right into the titular character. “It’s much more fun to just jump into the middle where you’re getting your ass kicked and you’ve got to get back to the fight.”
Corenswet’s preparation was intense, involving a rigorous gym routine that helped him tap into Superman’s core emotional struggle.
“He wants desperately to be a part of humanity and knows he ultimately isn’t quite like them,” he shared.
When James Gunn first told Corenswet to focus on his shoulders, little did anyone know it would become a profound personal and professional metamorphosis. The actor’s preparation for Superman went far beyond physical training, diving deep into the character’s emotional landscape.
“I’ve been a string bean my whole life,” Corenswet candidly shared, referencing Christopher Reeve’s own description, and had to develop a commitment of five to six days a week in the gym, spending two to three hours daily lifting weights and transforming his physique.
But the transformation was more than muscular as the young actor, who is married to actress Julia Warner, with whom he has a two-year old daughter, discovered a profound psychological connection to Superman during his intense training.
“When you take on a physical transformation like that, it’s just you against your own mind,” he explained, as those solitary gym moments became a metaphorical journey into Superman’s core emotional experience.
“I felt deeply alone. In that moment, it is just you and the weights,” he explained, seeing the isolation as key to understanding Superman’s fundamental struggle, feeling simultaneously surrounded by people yet fundamentally disconnected.
The actor realised that Superman’s greatest challenge isn’t physical strength, but emotional vulnerability. “He wants desperately to be a part of humanity and knows he ultimately isn’t quite like them.
On the other hand, Brosnahan isn’t just here to play Superman’s love interest, but also be the role model that Lois Lane has been since her creation in 1938, but reimagined for a new generation already used to seeing woman take leadership roles in the work force. Recognizing the character’s rich history, Brosnahan approached the role with a strong understanding of modern journalism and female empowerment.
“Lois is one of the characters that’s evolved the most in the history of these comics. We talked a lot about the importance of her journalism. She’s a superhero in her own right,” Brosnahan emphasised.
“She can logic her way around just about anything. She’s ten steps ahead of everyone else.”
The modernisation extended to practical details so the actress, who spent seven years on Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, playing a strong female lead in an era when women were not always respected or recognised, worked closely with the production team to create a contemporary professional look, including a wardrobe that prioritised functionality.
“That meant a lot of flat shoes,” she laughed, noting how even her footwear choice reflected Lois’s no-nonsense approach.
By focusing on Lois’s journalistic integrity and professional ambition, Brosnahan has created a version of the character that speaks to contemporary audiences while honouring the character’s iconic legacy.
During a separate session earlier in the day where the cast and director had a brief, intimate sharing session with select media and influencers from around the region, the trio also treated attendees to a special 30-minute footage screening of the film in IMAX.
“I’m so excited for you guys to see it,” Gunn noted before the presentation.
“I think it keeps getting better and better as the movie goes on. There’s more action, more fun, more heart,” he highlighted, particularly the relationship between Clark and his father:
“There’s some beautiful stuff between David and his dad, you know, between Clark and his dad.”
Gunn also delved into the filming process, revealing that the first scenes were shot in Svalbard, Norway, for the Arctic opening scene. “The inside was in Atlanta, but the outside was in the Arctic. That was the very first stuff we shot,” he explained.
And after 30-minutes with the new film, one thing is evident – Superman is no longer just a story of an alien from Krypton, but a deeply human story of connection and vulnerability, as this a Man of Steel who also understands what it means to be human.
Superman soars to cinemas in Singapore on 10 July.
Yonk is a geek who is fortunate enough to have an equally geeky Star Wars fan for a wife, who owns a LEGO Millennium Falcon encased in a glass coffee table as their home’s centre-piece.
Si Jia
Ting Wei
