Superman: Legacy: More details on screen tests for the James Gunn movie plus who could be up for Lex Luthor

The actors testing for the roles of Clark Kent and Lois Lane in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman: Legacy were revealed earlier this month, and a new report from THR has shed a little more light on what’s going down with the screen tests.

The Superman: Legacy screen tests were held last weekend, and sources told THR that those involved were split into predetermined pairs: Nicholas Hoult and Rachel Brosnahan, Tom Brittney and Phoebe Dynevor, and David Corenswet and Emmy Mackey. Several scenes were filmed with the actors in makeup and wardrobe as Clark Kent and the actresses as Lois Lane. The next screen test focused on Superman, with Hoult, Brittney, and Corenswet in full costume. The report notes that Mackey was brought in to play Lois Lane opposite each actor but cautions that this doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s the front-runner for Lane.

The various screen tests will be screened to Warner Bros. executives by Wednesday, so a choice for our next Superman and Lois Lane could be made later this week. James Gunn will then focus on casting the other significant roles, with a shortlist for Lex Luthor rumoured to include Alexander Skarsgard and Bill Skarsgard. Nicholas Hoult was also once considered for the role, and if Superman doesn’t pan out, he could put himself back in the running for the villain. It’s also said that The Authority will be introduced in Superman: Legacy, so those roles must also be cast. Gunn hopes to start filming Superman: Legacy early next year, and given the reaction towards The Flash, he must be all too aware that he really needs to knock this one out of the park.

James Gunn will write and direct Superman: Legacy, and he has promised that the tone of the movie will be different from the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Co-chair of DC Studios Peter Safran has also teased that Superman: Legacy will not be an origin story and will focus on “Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.” While fans were disappointed when Henry Cavill was dismissed from the role so soon after his brief return in Black Adam, I am excited for someone new to take on the character and to see what James Gunn can do with the Man of Steel. Superman: Legacy will hit theaters on July 11, 2025.