Superman: Legacy star David Corenswet wanted to play him “bright and optimistic” after Cavill’s gritty interpretation

David Corenswet has been officially named the next Superman for James Gunn’s upcoming reboot, Superman: Legacy in his new DCU regime. Gunn stated that Superman: Legacy, which is currently in pre-production, will be the first full-on Gunn-universe film that was conceived for the new continuity since the beginning. Ironically, in 2019, before Gunn even thought he could make a Superman film, and the DCEU was still unsure if Cavill would be returning in their universe, there were rumors back then that Corenswet may be stepping in the red boots.

Variety has thrown back to a statement made by Corenswet back when he was promoting his Netflix limited series, Hollywood, in 2019. The actor, who was already known from another Netflix show, The Politician, revealed that the last son of Krypton is his dream role. Four years ago, when he talked to Entertainment Weekly about it, he had already been told about his similar looks to Cavill, “It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me. But my pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman. 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.”

Fast forward to this week when fate had bestowed the role of a lifetime on Corenswet. His intention this whole time for being a classic, optimistic Superman may be what helped sway James Gunn’s decision to cast him in the coveted role. During his extensive casting search for his leading man, Gunn told Variety, “The next Superman has to be someone who has all the humanity that Superman has but he’s also an alien. It’s gotta be somebody who has the kindness and the compassion that Superman has and be somebody who you want to give a hug.”

Zack Snyder’s kick off to the DCEU in 2013 with Man of Steel came just off the heels of the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan’s rebooting of Batman famously ditched the camp of previous films and concentrated on making Christian Bale’s Batman world grounded and heavy. Nolan would lend his services as producer as the DC film company transitioned into an official shared universe with Henry Cavill’s incarnation as the stepping stone. Nolan in combination with Snyder would draw from their more adult-oriented styles which had contrasted with the up-and-running Marvel Cinematic Universe, which had just hit big with the first Avengers in 2012.