James GunnThe DCEU is dead, long live the DCU. James Gunn is ushering in a new era of superhero movies away from his roots at Marvel, and the Superman release date will kickstart this new universe.
There is a great weight of expectation on the shoulders of the burgeoning DCU. Still, if anyone can shoulder that responsibility, the Man of Steel is the best bet, and he’s first on the list for the slate of upcoming DC movies.
We finally have the official trailer, so here’s everything you need to know about its release date, cast, and plot.
Superman release date
Superman will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.
Despite all the strike action and delays affecting the industry, Gunn has stuck to his… guns, and the scheduled release of his next big superhero movie has remained intact.
July 11 is also Gunn’s late father’s birthday, whom he says he couldn’t have made the movie without. “My brother Matt told me when he saw the release date he started to cry. I asked him why. He said, ‘Dude, it’s Dad’s birthday.’ I hadn’t realized,” he said in an X/Twitter thread in March 2023.
Filming wrapped in July 2024, which Gunn confirmed in a heartfelt Instagram post.
Who is in the Superman cast?
David Corenswet has bagged the titular role as Superman, and is joined by Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
Here’s everyone confirmed for the Superman cast so far:
- David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman
- Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
- Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
- Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
- Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
- Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl
- Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
- Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho
- María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer
- Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
- Milly Alcock as Supergirl
- Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord
- Wendell Pierce as Perry White
- Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent
- Neva Howell as Martha Kent
- Will Reeve as a TV reporter
- Alan Tudyk as Robot 4
Corenswet, best known for Netflix’s The Politician, and Brosnahan, star of The Marvelous Ms. Maisel, were confirmed back in June 2023.
We got our first look at the new Clark Kent suiting up as Superman recently, thanks to James Gunn sharing an image on Threads (see below).
James GunnOne of the most exciting prospects for the film is that House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock is taking over as Supergirl, and her character will be introduced in Superman. Will Reeve, Christopher Reeve’s son, also has a part as a news reporter.
What is James Gunn’s Superman about?
Superman will show us a younger version of the titular character and explore Clark Kent’s inner conflict between what it means to be a human and a hero.
Way back in late 2022, Gunn shared some details on the project in a thread of tweets. Most notably, this will not be an origin story, but it will dive into an “earlier part of Superman’s life.” The movie was originally titled Superman: Legacy, but the latter aspect was dropped in March 2024.
Warner Bros.As per the current official synopsis, this movie will follow Superman as he “reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and a brighter tomorrow in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.”
From the trailers, we know that not everyone is happy about Superman’s status as Earth’s unbridled protector. This puts him in conflict (of varying degrees) with the public, Lois Lane, the US Government, and Lex Luthor. It explores similar themes to Snyder’s Batman v Superman, which fans have pointed out.
“He’s not a man,” says Lex. “He’s an it that’s somehow become the focal point of the entire world’s conversation. I will not accept that.”
Superman will naturally be wrestling with what his role is in this kind of world. We’ve seen this in previous iterations of the hero, but there’s so much to dissect about a god-like being who just wants to help people and do what’s right, while the world around him is filled with so much hate and hostility for what is alien to them.
Twitter: James GunnHow Kal-El deals with all of this will inform his legacy (see what we did there?). And, all of this plays a big part in the following Superman comic book stories Gunn has cited as influences on the film: Superman: Birthright, All-Star Superman, and Superman: Brainiac.
Trailers
The first Superman teaser trailer arrived in December 2024, giving us our first proper look at characters such as Lois, Lex Luthor, Guy Gardner, and most importantly, Krypto.
On May 14, 2025, we finally got the official trailer. This gave us a clearer idea of the plot and villains, including the Engineer and the Hammer of Boravia.
As we approach its July 11 release date, why not look into other DC movies like The Batman 2? You could also see what we chose as the best DCEU movie or check out our full 2025 movie calendar for all the major releases.
