Eager DC fans have been following the Superman and Lois casting saga, as it got down to a field of three actors (including Nicholas Hoult), and three actresses (including Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor). The name who was selected by James Gunn and his team for the flagship DCU movie was one of the least known – David Corenswet – but seeing some clips from his previous work helps convey his inherent Clark Kentness.
Corenswet doesn’t have too many credits to his name yet, but he did play the dashing projectionist in horror movie Pearl, which was set in 1918. The other period piece that he’s appeared in is Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Hollywood. Corenswet plays a World War II soldier who moves to Hollywood after the war with stars in his eyes, hoping to become an actor.
In a clip that someone named Rita posted to Twitter, it demonstrates Corenswet playing a “gee shucks” type character in the mode of someone like Jimmy Stewart. He comes across as eager, naive, and as a simple, homespun boy – who could easily be from a farm in Kansas. It’s easy to see why he will make the perfect Clark.
The Lois to Corenswet’s Clark will be played by Rachel Brosnahan, who is best-known for the 1950s-set The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It might not go down well with all of the fans, but if Superman Legacy turned out to be a 1940s or 1950s set period piece that leaned into Clark’s all-American farm boy credentials and which fully exploited Superman’s inherent optimism – well it seems they’ve found their perfect actors for that. We know it’s not likely, but we can dream!
Nicholas Hoult was quite a big name who got through to the final rounds for Superman, and who has previously also auditioned to join the auspicious list of Batman actors. Hoult could potentially now be in the running for Lex Luthor, and a villainous role would probably suit him better anyway.
While we wait to find out how Corenswet and Brosnahan pan out as Superman and Lois, check out our guide to best Superman movies and the best Superman actors…so far!