It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No — it’s the start of a new chapter for DC’s flagship superhero.
Superman soars into theaters on July 11, marking the official theatrical launch of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe (DCU). With the future of the franchise hanging in the balance, expectations are sky-high for DC Studios’ co-chairmen and co-CEOs — especially Gunn, who wrote and directed the film.
That pressure, plus the decades of history behind the franchise, has made Superman one of the most anticipated films of the year. Set three years into Clark Kent’s tenure as the Man of Steel, the story follows the superhero’s fight to balance his Kryptonian heritage with his upbringing in Smallville, Kan. Meanwhile, he’s pulled into a personal battle with Lex Luthor, who, as Gunn told Entertainment Weekly, is driven by an obsessive need to outshine the superhero.
The cast is massive, but rather than slowly building the DCU hero by hero, Gunn drops audiences into a fully-formed world. Leading the way are David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and they’re backed by a sprawling ensemble of heroes, villains, and frequent Gunn collaborators.
Ready to meet the new faces of the DCU? Here’s your guide to the full Superman cast (and where you’ve seen them before).