Much has been said about the size of Superman: Legacy's cast, and with so many superheroes expected to appear, it arguably feels more like a Justice League movie than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did back in 2016!
James Gunn is no stranger to handling large ensemble casts after helming the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, but a Superman movie should surely focus only on the Man of Tomorrow, right? With Lex Luthor and potentially Brainiac also set to appear, there are concerns among fans that this reboot will be far too crowded.
The DC Studios co-CEO recently responded to some of these worries on social media, and when one fan on Threads said previous Superman movies featured only Kal-El as their protagonist, Gunn responded, "We aren’t those movies. We’re us."
He'd go on to say that "none of [the superhero] roles is cameos," and made it clear he isn't done putting this cast together. "What single-protagonist movie doesn’t have more than ten speaking roles?" Gunn asked. "There will be more."
One follower used Oppenheimer as an example of a movie with a lead character surrounded by a large supporting cast, to which Gunn said, "Yep! So true. Very much a single protagonist film with a lot more characters than we have."
Honestly, all the complaints are likely much ado about nothing and we're sure Gunn knows what he's doing. Whether a Superman reboot needs the likes of Green Lantern and Metamorpho is up for debate, but it's likely all part of the filmmaker's plan to launch the new DCU.
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.
David Corenswet is playing the Man of Steel, while Rachel Brosnahan has been tapped to star as Lois Lane. Other recent casting additions include Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Kurt Russell no longer appears to be in the running for Jor-El and there's no word on Ma and Pa Kent or whether they're even alive in this iteration of Clark Kent's story. Brainiac, meanwhile, is expected to serve as the reboot's big bad. With production set to begin early next year, we're hoping the final few cast members will be revealed in the weeks ahead.
Superman: Legacy is currently set to be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.