James Gunn is opening up about casting rumors for one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, and while it’s likely not news fans wanted to hear, it doesn’t look like the process has taken off beyond a slow crawl, and that’s being generous.
With Superman: Legacy slated for a 2025 release, it’s unsurprising that Gunn and his team are in the earliest stages of casting conversations. So early, in fact, that in a tweet, Gunn says that right now — he’s really just making private lists and getting things ready for auditions to take place. See what we meant about a slow crawl?
Gunn announced that he’d be making the film just two weeks ago, and fans immediately began to wonder who he’d choose as his hero, what actor would wear the cape and walk around with an S on his broad chest. Which actor would Gunn choose to carry the mantle of the hero driven by kindness, as Gunn provided the following synopsis for his upcoming project?
“Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
Taking on a role as massive as Superman is a big undertaking from start to finish, so when Grace Randolph shared a rumor on Twitter that casting talks were almost complete for the actor set to breathe life into Clark Kent, Gunn shut them down quickly.
The tweet in question says that Randolph “heard” the Superman casting decision was very close to being confirmed, and while it might not be shared for some time — final conversations were definitely taking place. She hashtagged DC and DCStudios as well as Superman, so many eyes saw the Tweet, with some tagging Gunn to ask for confirmation.
Gunn’s response was open and honest, sharing that everything seems to be in the earliest stages of progress.
After Randolph saw that Gunn had negated the information in her tweet, she went a step further and shared that she heard Gunn’s top choice is Logan Lerman. Following up with, “We’ll see what happens,” Randolph said she could play this game all day.
Not to be upstaged, Gunn continued by first saying that he didn’t recognize the name and further explaining that he wasn’t trying to dig at the actor by saying he didn’t know who he was. He simply meant it didn’t immediately ring a bell, but upon learning who he was, Gunn said he was a talented guy but not someone who had been in discussions for Superman.
Of course, some tweets also shared ideas for who fans would love to see as Superman, and from Henry Cavill and Wolfgang Novogratz to Jamie Flatters and David Corenswet — fans have big ideas for who they’d love to see cast in Gunn’s upcoming project. Superman: Legacy will be a big film for Gunn and co., and it’ll be interesting to see not just who they cast as Superman but what other actors and actresses are brought on board to tell the story.
It’s worth mentioning again that Superman: Legacy will be an emotional journey for Gunn and his loved ones, as he credits his father with being the reason he’s able to make the film in the first place. The movie is set to release on July 11, 2025, and the date is very special to Gunn.