‘Superman’ Should Be Great with David Corenswet

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• Why David Corenswet Looks Promising as Superman

• David Corenswet Has the James Gunn Advantage

Look, something’s soaring through the sky. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s just another Superman movie. You know it’s passed the required waiting period for Hollywood to do it again. James Gunn‘s upcoming take looks to shed the plucky comedy he’s known for in favor of a straight-down-the-line, ‘let’s all be positive’ superhero movie. In spite of his friend Batman’s dour adventure in The Batman a few years ago, David Corenswet does show a lot of promise as a colorful Superman and Clark Kent, mainly because, so far, the actor seems to understand the differences in physicality required to play both sides convincingly.

Not since Christopher Reeve has Clark Kent looked like a pathetic nerd, and that’s exactly what we need. Stumbling around in a suit that’s too big, not Henry Cavill with his chiseled jaw and nothing else. Corenswet has a lot to prove, but if the trailer is anything to go by, there looks to be a real sense of optimism that hasn’t been seen much in the genre for a while. All of this can be true without sacrificing the inner conflict of the character.

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Release Date

July 11, 2025

Cast

David Corenswet
, Rachel Brosnahan
, María Gabriela De Faría
, Edi Gathegi
, Nicholas Hoult
, Frank Grillo
, Nathan Fillion
, Milly Alcock
, Sara Sampaio
, Pruitt Taylor Vince
, Skyler Gisondo
, Anthony Carrigan
, Wendell Pierce
, Beck Bennett
, Sean Gunn

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Why David Corenswet Looks Promising as Superman

Despite being a relatively uncomplicated character, movies have managed to turn Superman into an unnecessarily complicated one. It felt like they were trying to over-compensate for what they perceived as a ‘boring’ superhero, but the beauty of Superman is how he relates to those around him.

Corenswet’s performance has to nail this fish-out-of-water aspect, which comes down mostly to his alter-ego, Clark Kent. He cares about all life, but James Gunn’s movie gives the impression of Clark’s alienation from the people he is trying to protect. If he only feels like himself when he is Superman, the idolized figure, then forcing him to interact with humanity on a more grounded level can bring out a lot of drama.

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Corenswet needs to nail this balance between understanding what needs to be done and misunderstanding the people he is saving. His stoicism is perfectly balanced by his bumbling nature as Clark, something he seems to understand. It’s always been interesting seeing Superman vulnerable in his day-to-day life, and with Corenswet being a mostly unknown face to wider audiences, he has the opportunity to find the humanity behind a mythic character that many directors have only viewed as Superman and not Clark.

David Corenswet Has the James Gunn Advantage

James Gunn is a very strong director to have behind the camera for a Superman reboot. He understands the inherent humor of the situations he puts his characters into but has also shown an awareness of DC’s differences from Marvel. This was the DCEU’s biggest advantage, and they didn’t use it enough. Corenswet doesn’t have the baggage of pretending that the fantasy elements of the DC universe are a burden, which should allow him to lean into his portrayal separately from comparisons to Marvel movies or previous versions of the character.

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Superman also comes at an interesting time for the genre, with Marvel’s complicated cinematic lore getting in the way of their stories. Superman can take us back to simpler times before everything was in a multiverse. Corenswet has this platform to take the character in a vulnerable direction that aligns with modern filmmaking trends while also not being afraid to embrace the extremities of his character. Critics have long pointed out that Superman is boring because he is so powerful, but being invulnerable isn’t the issue.

Zack Snyder only saw Superman as a God among men, and from there, the only way to take the character is back down to Earth. He’s more than that and doesn’t become less interesting when he puts on the cape. Superman flies through the skies whilst having to look up like Clark Kent does. Hopefully, Corenswet could be the actor to remind us that, for all of Superman’s strengths, he’s still a nerd with a terrible haircut. Superman releases in 2025.

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