Well, it’s been a busy couple of weeks for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU and we’ve had a few major characters cast, so let’s look at who we have in the new DC Universe so far.
Of course, the biggest news of all was that we finally have our Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the form of David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, left.
After days of casting, Gunn and Safran settled on Pearl star Corenswet and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Brosnahan.
Of course, we’re all still waiting to see who will be cast as Lex Luthor, Perry White, Jimmy Olsen and more, but the fans are really waiting to hear who will be the new Batman and Wonder Woman; we know that Gunn has confirmed that a new Batman will be cast down the line when The Flash’s Andy Muschietti picks up the reigns for The Brave and the Bold movie – and he’s confirmed that it’s not going to be Ben Affleck, Micheal Keaton or George Clooney.
WATCH: New trailer arrives for Blue Beetle as it’s confirmed the first movie of James Gunn’s new DCU
However, not long after we heard the movie was happening, we learned that the world that Superman finds himself in, unlike the universe of Man of Steel, in which Superman’s arrival acted as a ‘beacon’ for other heroes and villains to come to earth and come out of the shadows, this will be a world that already has superheroes and villains, with Superman being merely the latest – albeit most powerful.
With that in mind, Gunn has also confirmed that three of the heroes who already exist in that world are Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern, Hawk Girl and Mr Fantastic and they will be played, in order, by Firefly and Buffy star Nathan Fillion, Dora the Explorer star Isabela Merced and X-Men: First Class’ Edi Gathegi.
We’re wondering if Hawkgirl might be joined by Aldis Hodge’s Hawkman from Black Adam as he was one of that movie’s highlights and I’m guessing he could still be part of this new universe, right? Right? Hello?
Anyways, as I said, this was confirmed by Gunn on social media:
True. Welcome to the cast of Superman: Legacy: @NathanFillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, @isabelamerced as Hawkgirl, and @iamedigathegi as Mister Terrific. ❤️💙💛 https://t.co/Z9JLq3jUxL
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 11, 2023
Gunn spoke about Fillion’s role in the movie and beyond, saying he’ll be Guy in future DC adventures: “The Green Lanterns show is not separate; Nate will play Guy in all parts of the DCU.”
Lanterns is the planned Green Lantern series set in the DCU and I’d imagine that while Guy Gardner will be in it as an older Lantern, it’s expected to focus on Jon Stewart and Hal Jordan, so I think Fillion’s role will be as a glorified cameo throughout the DCU as Gardner is not the most popular Lantern with fans.
Now, some of you might realise there’s an issue here as Fillion played TDK – The Detachable Kid – in Gunn’s suicide, so is this a conflict? Well, not according to Gunn:
Ok, so… when the new DCU kicks off with Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy, then that means that Blue Beetle and Peacemaker Season 2 are already part of that world but NOT anything else that has gone before… but we MIGHT see more familiar faces from the DCEU that was too. It’s a bit confusing.
Adding to this already fun cast is Barry and Gotham star Anthony Carrigan, left, who will play Superman villain Metamorpho – although it’s unlikely he’s going to be the main villain in the movie but rather another of that populated world.
“I like comic books, but I’m not a diehard, but I did when all my hair fell out, go through the kind of pantheon of all of these bald superheroes and supervillains and made note of all of them,” Carrigan said, “I remember seeing Metamorpho and I think he had like a giant like hammer for a hand and I was like, that guy’s badass. Noted. We’ll store that one away.”
On Metamorpho, he said: “This character from what I’ve learned of the source material, he didn’t like the way he looked, and I can really relate to that. You know, when he got his powers he thought it was a curse. That’s something that I really felt as well. In my case, I turned it around and saw it as a blessing. So I’m excited to bring that to the table with this character.”
Interstingly, Gunn confirmed that the character of Emilia Harcourt, played by Gunn’s real-life wife Jennifer Holland, will not appear in Superman: Legacy (here); Harcourt was introduced in Gunn’s Peacemaker series and then appeared in Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, she worked for Amanda Waller and seemed to be set up the ‘Nick Fury’ of the DCEU, bringing teams together and accessing who would be useful allies. However, the internet being the productive place that it is, it seemed to really annoy some people that Gunn’s wife should be cast in the DCEU and now that it’s becoming the rebranded and restructured DCU, it’s unclear what the future holds for the actress and character.
Speaking on his Threads, Gunn said of the project: “Superman: Legacy opens [in] two years from today; It may seem far away to many of you, but it’s close to me! We have a lot to do between now and then. But I haven’t been more excited about a project in forever, and this cast, slowly coming together, holy cow.”
On the casting so far, he said: “They fit the story I’m telling. Story always comes first.
“Blue Beetle and a handful of other characters will continue on in the DCU, even though the first DC Studios movie is Superman: Legacy.”
I know that it will be confusing when this next phase (?) in the DC Universe kicks off, but Gunn’s partner, Peter Safran, assures fans that it’s nothing to worry about: “The good news is, if you’ve seen nothing that we’ve done before, you can watch Superman Legacy, you can watch Creature Commandos, you can watch Peacemaker season two, and you can watch Blue Beetle. All of that. We are trying to minimize audience confusion and maximize their enjoyment.”
Honestly, as much of a fan I am of what went before, I’m excited to see a more coherent and complete vision for the DC universe on screen and I love the idea of the movies, TV shows, animated adventures and games all telling one story with the same actors in the roles, so that has me excited, so over all, I’m pretty excited for what is coming and I hope that the there’s still a place out there for a comic book universe because this could be a very exciting and distinct universe. Let’s just give it a chance, guys.
Superman: Legacy flies into cinemas on July 11th, 2025 and Gunn is set to direct from a script he has already completed.
Thoughts? I know you have them! Voice-off in the usual ways on FTN’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Source: Deadline, Vanity Fair, THR and IGN
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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