‘Pearl’ Actor David Corenswet Rumored To Be “Heating Up Even MORE Now As The ‘Choice’” For The DCU’s Superman

JB Augustine |

Jun 2, 2023

All-Star Superman cover used to promote Superman: Legacy

A leading candidate for the role of the Man of Tomorrow in Superman: Legacy is pulling ahead of the competition according to what a noteworthy scooper is hearing. Word has reached Syl Abdul that up-and-coming actor David Corenswet is gathering steam as the favorite to wear the cape in James Gunn’s reboot, as well as the new DCU as a whole.

Abdul followed up on a tweet sent in May that states, “Sounding like #davidcorenswet is REALLY heating up as the choice for #SUPERMANLEGACY,” with an update at the top of this month saying the relative unknown, “seems to be heating up even MORE now as the ‘choice’.” This is on the heels of reports the race was tightening between him and Nicholas Hoult.

#SupermanLegacy

Cornswet seems to be heating up even MORE now as the "choice" https://t.co/8zJ6ArINpt

— SyL ☕#IYKYK (@sylabdul) June 2, 2023

According to trade publications, although their coverage says some conflicting things, Corenswet and Hoult – among others – submitted taped auditions that Gunn is finally finding time to watch with Guardians, Vol. 3 and Memorial Day in the record books. The process to narrow the field to one guy should begin now and we could find out who the new Man of Steel is by July.

Corenswet, again, is an unknown commodity. His biggest credit to date is the critically well-received technicolor throwback slasher film Pearl, but he has been active for years with credits in streaming series produced by JJ Abrams and Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, Glee). Interestingly, his name has been coming up in relation to Superman as far back as 2019.

At the time, Abrams had signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros. that earmarked him as the one who’d reboot Superman and possibly most of the DCEU. Corenswet was said to be high on his list of replacements for Henry Cavill though no one had heard of him until then. Oddly, that can be a good sign when using the precedent set by Richard Donner.

In the late 70s, Christopher Reeve was not a household name, which was the idea. He had to embody Superman and what he stands for; an actor with a familiar face like Paul Newman or Robert Redford would’ve theoretically distracted and confused audiences who couldn’t look past the star’s features and see the countenance of Truth, Justice, and The American Way.

This circumstance was true for Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, Cavill, and every actor who has portrayed Big Blue since the late 80s. Corenswet, who reminds many of a young Cavill or Welling physically, has that very same thing going for himself. It would surprise virtually no one if he becomes the next man to stand for Superman’s values and explore his “Legacy.”

NEXT: Alleged ‘The Flash’ Post-Credits Scene Teases Brand-New Batman, Erases The Snyderverse