Steve Lombard isn't the most well-known character to come out of The Daily Planet newsroom, but the sports columnist will return to the big screen this summer (Michael Kelly previously played him in Man of Steel) in James Gunn's Superman.
On the page, Lombard is typically portrayed as a self-centered, boorish jerk and a prankster who frequently makes Clark Kent the butt of his jokes. Beck Bennett will play this character in the DCU and talked more about his role during a recent interview with Coming Soon.
"If you know him at all from reading about him online or the comic books, he’s an adversary for Clark Kent at The Daily Planet," the Saturday Night Live alum shared. "They work together, he’s a sports writer there. He’s kind of a little bit of an adversary for everybody. He doesn’t really have a filter. He has strong opinions."
"He’s a character where, when you see him, you know what to expect, you know he’s going to be overly confident and then kind of fall flat on his face and get embarrassed. It’s really fun to play a character who is so cocky and just always ends up getting his comeuppance."
"But that’s kind of what you can expect," Bennett continued. "I would say, with anything that James [Gunn] does, he took that concept of the character and made it even more fun and relatable."
Explaining that he took a deep dive into the character's history, the actor and comedian offered some additional insights into how he approached Lombard and the fact he's isn't necessarily a particularly likeable presence in The Daily Planet.
Unsurprisingly, Bennett is also eager to revisit the character should he be given the chance to continue exploring Supes' corner of the DCU.
"I’ve always enjoyed playing these kinds of characters, but to play it in the context of Superman, it’s a character that exists and then to have James Gunn writing him and be in charge of directing it - I trust him so much to get it right," Bennett explained. "And, again, I’ve been working on this type of character for a long time, I really love playing him, so it feels very at home for me."
"I would love to play him again and again, yeah, definitely. And, also, just work with the creative team and the cast...it was such a fun group to work with. I know we all love being part of this."
"So, I don’t know, but Superman is a corner of the DC Universe and Metropolis is a corner of Superman, so I would hope that I could come up again but we’ll have to wait and see," he concluded.
We're not expecting Bennett to have a huge role in Superman, but the fact that Gunn is populating The Daily Planet's newsroom with so many characters is a good sign that we're going to be taking a deep dive into Clark's life as a journalist.
Superman, DC Studios' first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures.
In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
The movie stars David Corenswet in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Also appearing are Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, and Milly Alcock.
Superman arrives in theaters on July 11, 2025.