10 Actors Who Have Been Cast in James Gunn’s Henry Cavill-Less Superman Movie

DC is getting a complete makeover, and it starts with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s Superman: Legacy. James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC as co-chairmen, and ever since then, the audience has been excited to see what they bring to the table as part of the new DC. 

After the removal of Henry Cavill from the role of Superman, who was arguably the most popular Superman in the DC franchise so far, the audience has been curious about what the cast would entail. Initially, the cast was kept under sealed lips, but slowly, with time, around 10 actors have been confirmed or rumored to be in Superman: Legacy. 

 

10 actors who have been cast in DC’s Superman: Legacy so far

Due to the hype around Superman: Legacy and the directors behind it, every cast member’s confirmation immediately made headlines across the globe. The first news to come was that of Superman’s recast, and it was David Corenswet who was confirmed for the titular role in June 2023. He has appeared in titles like Pearl, House of Cards, and Affairs of State, which established and solidified his acting prowess in Hollywood. So, the audience felt that the most important comic book character’s role in DC was in good hands.

Also Read: “It’s a difficult industry”: Not James Gunn, Another DC Director Slyly Comments on Cancel Culture Destroying Filmmaking Business

Rachel Brosnahan will take the throne of Lois Lane. If Superman: Legacy is indeed planning on taking a lighter approach, Rachel Brosnahan is the ideal cast member for it. She has already established her comic prowess in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and holds an Emmy to her name to prove her worth. She bagged the role despite big Hollywood names like Emma Mackey, Phoebe Dynevor, and Samara Weaving being in the running for it.

After casting the main two leads, James Gunn announced three other major cast members of Superman: Legacy Isabela Merced (Dora the Explorer and Madame Web) as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi (Arrow and X-Men: First Class) as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, and Nathan Fillion (Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Suicide Squad) as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern. James Gunn confirmed their cast on X (formerly Twitter) and extended a warm welcome to them:

“True. Welcome to the cast of ‘Superman: Legacy:’ [Nathan Fillion] as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, [Isabela Merced] as Hawkgirl, and [Edi Gathegi] as Mister Terrific.”

 

Anthony Carrigan, known for his amazing performances in cult shows like Gotham and Barry, will take up the mantle as Rex Mason or Metamorpho. Talking about him on X, James Gunn shared that he is unbelievably excited for Carrigan to reprise the role in the upcoming movie. James Gunn also dubbed Metamorpho “one of [his] all-time favorite characters” on Instagram.

María Gabriela de Faría will be playing Angela Spica/The Engineer. Although many thought that her character was the villain of Superman: Legacy, true comic book fans would know her to be the grey character she is, not really falling into any binaries. James Gunn took to Threads to discredit Deadline’s original report that termed her a villain and said, “Villain is such a disparaging term.”

The most hyped casting of Superman: Legacy has been Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Tolkien, and Mad Max: Fury Road) as Lex Luthor. However, out of all the castings, James Gunn has yet to make a public announcement on this one. According to reports by Deadline, both Bill and Alexander Skarsgard were being considered for the role, so it is a huge feat for Nicholas Hoult to land the role.

Also Read: Nicholas Hoult Joins James Gunn’s DCU to Play Lex Luthor in Superman: Legacy

Other than that, there is Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, for which James Gunn apparently auditioned “hundreds of folks,” as he revealed on Threads, and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen. 

Who else might be in Superman: Legacy?

James Gunn has been teasing many more characters in the movie. One can expect many other iconic characters like Jonathan Kent, Martha Kent, Perry White, etc. Recently, in an X post, fans asked him whether old fan-favorite characters Cat Grant and Steve Lombard would make an appearance. He slyly replied with a smark emoji, teasing the audience for more.

Also Read: James Gunn Teases More Characters From the Comics Will Find a Place in Superman: Legacy as Fans Call For Cat Grant, Steve Lombard

Sean Gunn might also make an appearance given how he always appears in his brother’s movies, including all the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and The Suicide Squad. 

 

Superman: Legacy is slated to release on July 11, 2025.