Superman release date – Latest news for James Gunn's DC movie

He said: "Overjoyed to be announcing the start of principal photography on SUPERMAN today, February 29, which just so happens to be – coincidentally and unplanned – Superman’s birthday (!)

"When I finished the first draft of the script, I called the film Superman: Legacy. By the time I locked the final draft, it was clear the title was SUPERMAN. Making our way to you July 2025. Happy Birthday, Clark! UpUpAndAway"

Since then Gunn has teased the filming of a scene in Svalbard, Norway, in which Superman flees the Fortress of Solitude.

He told Svalbardposten (via VG): "We wanted a place that was beautiful and felt like being in the middle of the Arctic, so we looked at several places in the world. But there were many things that sold Svalbard for us over the other places.

"First, there is the natural beauty. But there’s also the fact that you’ll find a varied landscape here that you won’t find anywhere else. Nature gives a special feeling."

Meanwhile, Nicholas Hoult, who will be playing Lex Luthor in the film, talked with Michael Rosenbaum, who previously played Luthor in Smallville, about his preparation for the film.

He told Rosenbaum on his podcast Inside of You that Gunn has an "ability to keep things fun and alive and try things in the moment and be like, just shouting out from the monitors, 'Say this line. Do this! Do that!' And that’s something that I really enjoy.

"That’s the whole process of prep for me is like, be prepared as possible so when you get there you can throw it all away and do whatever you want in the moment."

He also said he'd been training for the role, adding: "There’s that bit in All-Star Superman where he talks about his muscles being real and hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of fuel for the fire."

There have been a slew of recent updates regarding the film, with the casting of Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion and Wendell Pierce being announced over the past months.

House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock has also been cast as Supergirl in the DCU, with Gunn saying of the young star in a post on Instagram: "Milly is a fantastically talented young actor, and I’m incredibly excited about her being a part of the DCU.

"Yes, I first became aware of her in House of the Dragon but I was blown away by her varied auditions and screen tests for #Supergirl. She embodies Kara as envisioned by @tomking_tk, @bilquis and Ana Nogueira."

Superman is set to follow Clark Kent during his formative years as a hero, as he attempts to balance his career as a journalist with his responsibilities as the last son of Krypton.

Read on for everything we know so far about Superman.

Superman release date

Superman will officially arrive in cinemas on 11th July 2025, meaning fans will still need to wait for just over a year until they get to see the Man of Steel on the big screen once again.

The film will come after two TV projects on Gunn and Safran's slate - Creature Commandos and Waller - and will, according to Safran, really be the "launch of the DCU".

Who will star in Superman?

While the role of Superman was previously portrayed by Henry Cavill, who first played the part in 2013's Man of Steel, the star won't be returning for Gunn's movie.

Instead, David Corenswet (The Politician) will be appearing in the title role.

After some to-ing and fro-ing as DC changed plans for its cinematic universe, Cavill posted on Instagram to say: "I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it's sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.

"After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn't the easiest, but that's life. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build."

Meanwhile, Gunn said on Twitter (now X): "In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.

"But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future."

Gunn also told Deadline once the new film had been announced that he didn't "fire" Cavill because he had never been cast in the film in the first place.

He explained: "We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast. He was in a cameo, and that was the end of his story. A lot of people made assumptions which weren’t true. But, for me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman and who do the filmmakers want to cast?

"For me, for this story, it isn’t Henry. I like Henry. He’s a great guy. I think he’s gotten d***ed around by a lot of people, including former regimes of this company. But this Superman isn’t Henry for a number of reasons."

Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Lex Luthor, while Milly Alcock is set to star as Supergirl. It's not completely confirmed that Supergirl will definitely appear in Superman - but we do know that she'll appear in a DC project before her own film, Woman of Tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Rachel Brosnahan has been cast as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced will play Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi will be Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion will play a Green Lantern and Wendell Pierce will play Perry White.

What will Superman be about?

We know very little about the plot of Superman at this point. What we do know is that the film will be written by James Gunn and that it will, according to DC's Twitter (now X) page, "focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing".

Gunn's recent X post also suggested that the superhero's parents will be heavily involved in the film.

In a video posted to the site, Gunn explained that the film would be the "true beginning of the DCU", and that he is currently "having a great time" writing the script.

Meanwhile, Gunn and Safran also released some additional details on the film together, with Safran saying: "(This) is really the launch of the DCU. The first two projects are an amuse-bouche for what’s coming up with Superman: Legacy.

"James is currently writing it. We’re hoping that he will direct it. It’s not an origin story. It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned."

Meanwhile, Gunn added: "With our stories, we want to take it away from good guy vs bad guy. There are really good – almost saintly – people, and Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or the Joker. And then there’s everybody in between them, so there are all these shades of grey which allow us to tell complex stories."

Is there a trailer for Superman?

There isn't a trailer available for the film just yet, but you can watch James Gunn's announcement video, running through the first chapter of projects in the DCU, right now:

Superman will be released in cinemas on 11th July 2025. Check out more of our Film and Sci-Fi coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.

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