James Gunn posted on Twitter that his father's passing informed the screenplay. The film's release date, 11 July 2025, fell on his father's birthday.
The casting of Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner marks the seventh occasion that Fillion has appeared in a film directed by James Gunn, continuing the tradition of the actor appearing in each of Gunn's films owing to the pair's long-standing friendship.
Will Reeve made a brief appearance in the film that was first revealed in July 2024 by Cleveland's local paper, The Plain Dealer, which reported it was shot during exterior filming in Cleveland's Public Square. Reeve, the youngest child of Christopher Reeve, was only three when his father suffered the accident that left him paralysed. In the movie he appears as a TV news reporter; in reality he is a television correspondent for ABC News.
Nicholas Hoult, Andrew Richardson and Tom Brittney underwent screen tests for the part of Clark Kent / Superman prior to David Corenswet being cast. Hoult was eventually chosen to portray Lex Luthor.
Personal trainer Paolo Mascitti stated that David Corenswet put on 40 lb of muscle prior to filming. 'David had been working out intensively before I met him, but he is naturally a very lean man. He is 6 ft 4 in (1.93 metres), yet we wanted him to carry more bulk. He probably went from around 200 lb to about 240 lb, although some of that mass will be shed as he continues to tone up.' Interestingly, Christopher Reeve went through a similar routine in the late 1970s when he played the character.
Skyler Gisondo's depiction of Jimmy Olsen constitutes the character's first on-screen appearance since Superman Returns (2006), as his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) incarnation appeared only in the extended edition.
James Gunn initially opted to direct The Suicide Squad (2021) rather than a Superman film.
David Corenswet is 6 ft 4 in tall (1.93 metres), making him one of the two tallest actors to have played Superman, tied with Christopher Reeve. The previous actors to play Superman were:
- George Reeves: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 metres).
- Dean Cain: 5 ft 11½ in (1.82 metres).
- Brandon Routh: 6 ft 2¾ in (1.90 metres).
- Tom Welling: 6 ft 2½ in (1.89 metres).
- Henry Cavill: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 metres).
Nicholas Hoult had earlier auditioned for the part of Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Batman (2022) and also tried for the role of Superman in this film, prior to being cast as Lex Luthor. Hoult's bid to portray the hero in a comic-book film only to be selected as the villain has been likened to Tom Hiddleston, who later took on the role of the villain Loki after losing the Thor part to Chris Hemsworth in Thor (2011).
James Gunn has cited the renowned Superman comics "Superman for All Seasons" (1998), "Superman: Ending Battle" (2002), "Superman: Birthright" (2003–04), "All-Star Superman" (2005–08; which was adapted into All-Star Superman (2011)) and "Superman: Brainiac" (2008; which was adapted into Superman: Unbound (2013)) as sources of inspiration for the film.
Emma Mackey, Phoebe Dynevor and Samara Weaving each auditioned for the part of Lois Lane, with Rachel Brosnahan ultimately being cast.
Krypto's inclusion in the film was revealed by James Gunn on social media in October 2024 to mark Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. For the character's first live-action outing, Gunn drew on his own rescue dog, Ozu, whose appearance served as the inspiration and foundation for Krypto's 3D model, according to James Gunn. Ozu was 3D-scanned and then digitally altered to resemble Krypto. In the comics Krypto is typically shown as a white Labrador or shepherd, whereas Ozu is a scruffier, smaller dog breed. Krypto had previously appeared on film in DC League of Super-Pets (2022), voiced by Dwayne Johnson. By contrast, Krypto in this film does not speak.
James Gunn announced on 29 February 2024 that principal photography (filming) had begun. That date also falls on Clark Kent's birthday, which Gunn said was purely coincidental.
Sara Sampaio plays Eve Teschmacher, a character who made her first appearance outside the comics in Superman (1978), and predates Lex Luthor's better-known personal assistant, Mercy Graves, who first appeared in Superman: The Animated Series (1996).
The Superman crest is derived from Alex Ross's original design in the "Kingdom Come" mini-series, but is filled with yellow rather than black. That design was previously used in the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' crossover, where Brandon Routh reprised the role he played in Повернення Супермена (2006). The new cinematic emblem also features a yellow border, reminiscent of Superman's '30s and '40s-era appearances. According to James Gunn, the costume is constructed from real texture rather than inks.
While the film was in production, it was announced that The CW Network (The CW) television series Superman & Lois (2021) would conclude, its fourth series being the final one, despite plans for seven series. Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment at The CW, said this was because of the new film and that Warner Bros. did not 'want a competing Superman project in the marketplace.' Elizabeth Tulloch, who portrayed Lois Lane in the series, defended the film, instead attributing the series' cancellation to managerial changes, with Nexstar having purchased The CW and Warner Bros. undergoing changes of chief executive during the series' run.
The Superman costume reintroduces the iconic red trunks to live-action, becoming definitive for the first time since Superman Returns (2006) (they made a brief appearance in Superman & Lois (2021)). Whilst doing so, it also features a high collar reminiscent of the New 52 redesign, which famously did away with the red trunks.
James Gunn revealed that John Murphy will compose the score for the film, marking the pair's third collaboration after The Suicide Squad (2021) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023).
In July 2024, exterior location filming took place in the city centre of Cleveland, Ohio. The creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, were both from Cleveland, although the latter was born in Toronto, Canada.
Camila Mendes and Mary Mouser were both among those considered for the part of Lois Lane.
Harris Dickinson, Wolfgang Novogratz, Andrew Richardson and Pierson Fode were all in the running for the part of Clark Kent/Superman, whereas Jacob Elordi said he turned it down, describing the character as 'too dark'.
James Gunn confirmed that one of Henry Cavill's suits from Man of Steel (2013) was used for actors to wear during screen tests when auditioning for Superman. He added, "Tom Brittney messed it up and then Corenswet came in and he was way too tall so it just got torn to shreds. BTW, Tom is truly one of my favourite actors. Incredibly talented chap."
Before being cast, Nicholas Hoult was vying with both Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Skarsgård for the part of Lex Luthor. Prior to Hoult's casting, Bradley Cooper was reportedly contacted about the role, but he turned it down.
As part of the Metropolis setting, maps of the city centre were displayed on set, showing street names and a general layout of the area. Several of those street names pay tribute to people previously associated with the Superman character and franchise, including George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Richard Donner, David S. Goyer, Mark Waid, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, John Byrne, Curt Swan, Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, amongst many others.
James Gunn invited a number of comics creators onto the set, among them Frank Quitely, Jim Lee, Kevin Maguire, Scott Snyder, John Ostrander, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens and Jason Aaron.
Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were Jewish and drew on aspects of Jewish tradition when shaping the character. David Corenswet is half-Jewish on his father's side and is the first actor of Jewish heritage to portray Superman.
Director James Gunn shared the first photograph of David Corenswet as Superman on 6 May 2024 via his personal Instagram profile. Gunn captioned the image: "Get ready. Superman 7.11.25".
Edi Gathegi has been cast to portray Michael Holt (Mr. Terrific) in the film adaptation. Echo Kellum previously played a version of the character called Curtis Holt on CW's Arrow (2012). Mr. Terrific is a highly intelligent superhero, renowned for his intellect and inventiveness. He is best known as a genius who holds 14 PhDs and has expertise across several disciplines, including physics and engineering. He employs advanced technology — notably his T-Spheres (floating, multipurpose devices) — in combat, for analysis and for hacking.
Jack Quaid, who provided the voice of Superman in My Adventures with Superman (2023), revealed that he auditioned for the part of Superman.
Rachel Brosnahan is the sixth actress to play Lois Lane and is four years older than the actor playing Superman, David Corenswet. Similarly, Elizabeth Tulloch is six years older than Tyler Hoechlin; Amy Adams is nine years older than Henry Cavill; Teri Hatcher is two years older than Dean Cain; Lesley Ann Warren is three years older than David Patrick Wilson; and Margot Kidder was four years older than Christopher Reeve.
Patrick Schwarzenegger auditioned for the part of Superman. By coincidence, his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, had campaigned for the same part in Superman (1978).
The film's first trailer amassed 250 million online views within its first 24 hours, the second-highest total for any film not released by Disney, behind Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) with 356 million views.
The first Superman film since Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) to display a yellow "S" emblem on the rear of his cape.
Initially titled "Superman: Legacy."
David Corenswet first signalled his interest in portraying Superman in 2019.
This film serves as the eighth live-action cinema release to feature the Superman character since his creation in 1938, following Superman and the Mole-Men (1951), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Superman Returns (2006) and Man of Steel (2013). If one includes Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), it would be the ninth, although Superman actor Henry Cavill did not regard that as a Superman film, but rather a Batman one.
Shaquille O'Neal featured in a promotional clip alongside James Gunn and David Corenswet for this film. O'Neal infamously portrayed John Henry Irons, the titular character in Steel (1997). In the comics, Irons is part of the Superman family and also appears in the television series Superman & Lois (2021), where he is played by Wolé Parks.
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan each appeared in different series instalments of the Netflix drama House of Cards (2013).
A fan, on his Twitter profile, speculated that David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan would portray Superman and Lois Lane, but only in being linked, indirectly, to Matt Reeves's The Batman epic crime saga — merely existing within the same universe.
David Corenswet learnt he had been cast as Superman while on the set of Twisters (2024), and he shared a clip of the cast celebrating the news.
The first Superman picture since Superman Returns (2006) to employ John Williams's principal theme from Superman (1978) as the character's chief leitmotif throughout the film's score. James Gunn described the theme as among the finest film scores ever composed and has associated it with the character of Superman from the earliest stages of this film's development.
Nathan Fillion drew on Estelle Getty's The Golden Girls (1985) character Sophia Petrillo for his take on Guy Gardner.
One of the biggest criticisms of Superman Returns (2006) was that Kate Bosworth (who plays Lois Lane in that film) looked far too young to play an experienced journalist with a Pulitzer Prize and a five‑year‑old child (Bosworth was only 22 during principal photography). To avoid a similar criticism, director James Gunn deliberately cast an older actress for this film — Rachel Brosnahan turned 34 during filming.
In this film, Nathan Fillion takes on the role of Guy Gardner. He had previously voiced the Green Lantern in Green Lantern Emerald Knights (2011), Justice League Doom (2012) and Justice League Flashpoint Paradox (2013), amongst several other DC animated features.
Former Lois Lane Amy Adams praised Rachel Brosnahan's casting in the role of Lois. Amy's film American Hustle (2013) was shot in and around Boston at the time of the 2013 Boston Marathon events, which were later dramatised in Rachel's film Patriots Day (2016).
Isabela Merced, who plays 'Hawkgirl', had earlier auditioned for the lead role in Batgirl, a film that was, regrettably, cancelled and never released.
