Who Is David Corenswet? Meet DC’s New Superman

Christy Piña
·3 min read
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It’s official: the DC Universe officially has its new Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

On Tuesday, news broke that David Corenswet would take on the role of the Man of Steel in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy, the film that will introduce a new slate at DC, courtesy of Gunn and Peter Safran.

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Legacy is one of the projects featured in what the co-heads of film at the studio dubbed Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters, which is set to tell stories across TV and film. Other titles include Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and The Authority.

According to Gunn, the film follows Corenswet’s Clark Kent/Superman as he learns to balance his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, thanks to parents Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas. Corenswet will star alongside Rachel Brosnahan, who takes on the role of Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane.

Superman: Legacy is set to hit theaters July 11, 2025, and begin filming in early 2024. While Gunn has found his Lois and Clark, the casting search continues for other iconic Superman characters like Lex Luthor and the superheroes The Authority, who are expected to make an appearance in the film before having their own eventually.

Here’s a look at the next Kal-El.

Who is David Corenswet?

Corenswet graduated from Julliard in 2016 and landed a guest role in House of Cards in 2018. The actor was born and raised in Philadelphia. His father worked as a stage actor for many years before joining his wife as a lawyer. As a child actor, Corenswet made appearances in numerous theater productions, including Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, Macbeth, La Vie En Bleu and The Forigivng Harvest.

What else is he in?

Prior to House of Cards, Corenswet had parts in Elementary, Affairs of State and Instinct. In 2019, he landed a starring role in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician, followed by another one in the showrunner’s 2020 series Hollywood. The former tells the story of an over-calculating high school senior, Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), who has paved every step of his life so that it would lead him to one day be president of the United States. Hollywood is set in the aftermath of World War II in Los Angeles and tells the story of Corenswet’s Jack Costello, who hopes to ride his good looks to superstardom, only to find himself working as a glorified gigolo at a gas station instead.

The actor more recently had a recurring role on HBO’s We Own This City, and he starred in Netflix’s Look Both Ways and A24’s Pearl. Superman: Legacy marks Corenswet’s first major foray into a big studio film. His upcoming projects include FX’s The Answers, Searchlight’s The Greatest Hits, AppleTV+’s Lady in the Lake, and Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and Amblin Entertainment’s Twisters.

How did he land the role of Superman?

Corenswet screen-tested for the role of Man of Steel over the June 17 weekend in Superman garb and in plain clothes. He was paired up with Emma Mackey, who was a strong contender for Lois Lane before the part eventually went to Brosnahan. Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney also auditioned for Kal-El.

In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed he wanted to portray the iconic superhero at some point in his career. “My pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman,” Corenswet told the publication. “I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”

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