Superman release date, trailer and latest news on James Gunn's DC movie

That means now there's just the small matter of a global promotional tour between Superman and cinemas, with the reboot hoping to avoid the muted box office of recent comic book blockbusters Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*.

Indeed, the longevity of this rebooted universe will rest heavily on this film's success, but we can expect at least one more big-screen outing in the form of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is already in production.

David Corenswet (Twisters) plays the Kryptonian hero and his civilian alter-ego Clark Kent this time around, with a recent pair of posters showing his transformation between the two distinct identities.

Suffice to say, we're not sure how nobody recognises him either.

If you're excited for what's to come from DC Studios' first proper release, read on for everything you need to know about James Gunn's Superman ahead of its cinematic run this summer.

Superman release date

Superman flies into cinemas on Friday 11th July 2025, meaning there's only a matter of weeks left until we usher in a new dawn for DC Comics on the big screen.

Technically, this is the second entry in Gunn's rebooted DC Universe (following animated series Creature Commandos), but the stakes remain high as this fledgling franchise tries to find its feet.

Filming took place between February and July 2024, meaning that the film has spent a full year in post-production, hopefully resulting in some dazzling visuals when it finally arrives in cinemas.

Reflecting on the shoot, Gunn said: "The destination has been Superman, but the journey has been the toil and the laughter and the emotions and ideas and magic we’ve shared together on set – and for that I am forever grateful."

In June 2025, little more than a month from the film's release, the writer-director revealed that his Superman film was officially complete and locked up at DC HQ until its global rollout in cinemas.

The update came accompanied with a selfie of Gunn and his cast from the set. See below:

Superman cast: Who stars in James Gunn's reboot?

David Corenswet leads the cast of Superman, playing both the caped hero and his civilian alter-ego Clark Kent.

The Twisters star is taking over the role from Henry Cavill, who portrayed the DC icon in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and Justice League, as well as taking a brief cameo in 2022's Black Adam.

Hyping up his new star, Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter: "Honestly, from the bottom of my heart, David Corenswet is going to freak everyone out with how great he is. He is one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with, and he can do everything. The man is incredible."

The casting refresh is supposed to usher in a fresh start for the DC Comics film franchise, which has suffered a string of box office bombs in the recent past, including Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Blue Beetle.

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel) and Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu) co-star in Superman as the title character's principal love interest Lois Lane and his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor.

On joining the project, Brosnahan told Deadline: "It's a hopeful superhero movie, which I feel like is so true to the comics. So, I'm excited for audiences to see it and hopefully have some fun and enjoy the ride with us."

Rather than gradually build out a universe, as Marvel has done so effectively and the previous DC regime attempted, Gunn's Superman will introduce viewers to a world already inhabited by established superheroes.

This includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, a member of the Green Lantern Corps (set to be expanded in Max original series Lanterns).

Addressing the tone of the film (via THR), co-star Carrigan teased: "I am hesitant to liken it to Guardians, but I do think that [Superman] has the same heart and intelligence. That's James's trademark.

"But I think it's going to be its own thing entirely. The process of working on it was such a special one, and the whole cast was on board with bringing something really special to it. So, hopefully, that's conveyed on-screen."

Once again, Clark Kent will spend his civilian hours at news organisation The Daily Planet, with Wendell Pierce (Thunderbolts*) as editor Perry White and Skyler Gisondo (Licorice Pizza) as photographer Jimmy Olsen.

Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover and Christopher McDonald are set to play Clark's fellow reporters at the outlet, while Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince have been hired as his adoptive human parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent.

House of the Dragon alum Milly Alcock is also expected to make a cameo appearance as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl, ahead of her own solo film Woman of Tomorrow, which is due for release next year.

A less expected cameo comes in the form of Smallville's Michael Rosenbaum, who has announced his return to the DC Universe in a voice role spanning just a "couple of lines". The actor famously played Lex Luthor in The CW's coming-of-age sci-fi drama.

Here's a round-up of the confirmed Superman cast:

• David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman
• Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
• Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
• Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific
• Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern
• Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl
• Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
• Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
• María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer
• Wendell Pierce as Perry White
• Alan Tudyk as TBC
• Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent
• Neva Howell as Martha Kent
• Terence Rosemore as Otis
• Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard
• Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant
• Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe
• Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr
• Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
• Sean Gunn as Maxwell Lord
• Michael Rosenbaum as TBC

Superman plot: What is it about?

The plot of 2025's Superman has been kept largely under wraps so far, but we do know that the film will focus on Clark Kent "balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing".

DC Studios co-CEO and producer Peter Safran described the film as the formal "launch of the DCU", with preceding entry Creature Commandos being referred to as an "amuse-bouche for what's coming up".

Meanwhile, Warner Bros is promising that the film will boast a "singular blend of epic action, humour and heart, delivering a Superman who's driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind".

One particular element of the film that has been discussed at length is the film debut of Krypto the Super Dog, with this incarnation said to be based on Gunn's own pet pooch; a badly-behaved rescue named Ozu.

Gunn told the crowd at CinemaCon (via THR): "Ozu is terrible to anyone who comes near him... I thought, 'Oh, my God, what if this dog had superpowers? I'd be f****d.' And I said, 'Now I know what I’m going to do with Superman.'"

Explaining his decision to reinstate the red trunks that were absent in Zack Snyder's era, Gunn told Gizmodo: "He's an alien... He's this incredibly powerful, could be considered scary, individual, and he wants people to like him.

"He wants to be a symbol of hope and positivity. So he dresses like a professional wrestler. He dresses in a way that makes people unafraid of him, that shows that hope, that shows that positivity. And that really clicked in for me."

Superman trailers

There are plenty of Superman trailers for those excited to see the full film. The latest one dropped in May 2025 and had no trouble generating hype for this new era of DC's flagship hero. Watch here:

The previous month, Gunn had dropped a five-minute 'Sneak Peek' at a suspenseful scene in which an injured Superman is taken to the Fortress of Solitude by his trusty pooch, Krypto. You can check that out below:

The initial teaser trailer for Superman dropped mere days before Christmas 2024, and was quite the gift for DC fans to unwrap. Here's a reminder of that early promo, in case you just can't get enough:

Superman will be released in cinemas on Friday 11th July 2025.

Check out more of our Film and Sci-Fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.