Background In 2012,
Warner Bros. Pictures was planning for the film
Man of Steel (2013), based on the
DC Comics character
Superman, to start a
shared universe, which became known as the "
DC Extended Universe" (DCEU). They announced a full slate of DC films in October 2014, prioritizing
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as the second DCEU film after
Man of Steel failed to meet the studio's financial expectations. Despite this, they said an undated sequel to
Man of Steel was in development with
Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as
Clark Kent / Superman.
Man of Steel director
Zack Snyder said they had been considering the imprisoned
Kryptonians from the first film and the character
Brainiac as antagonists for the sequel before work began on
Batman v Superman. A
Man of Steel sequel was in active development as a top priority for the studio in August 2016, which Cavill's manager
Dany Garcia confirmed the following month.
Amy Adams, who portrayed
Lois Lane in
Man of Steel, said in November that the studio was working on the screenplay.
Matthew Vaughn was Warner Bros.'s top choice to direct the film and had preliminary conversations about it by March 2017. Vaughn and comic book writer
Mark Millar previously
pitched a new Superman trilogy prior to the development of
Man of Steel, in which the destruction of the planet
Krypton would not occur until after Superman had already grown up on the planet. After
the troubled production of the DCEU film
Justice League (2017), Warner Bros. reevaluated its approach to DC projects. By the end of 2017, a
Man of Steel sequel was not coming "anytime soon, if at all".
Justice League producer
Charles Roven said story ideas had been discussed but there was no script. , pictured during filming in June 2024, began work on a new Superman film in August 2022, after turning down a previous opportunity. Before the release of
Mission: Impossible – Fallout in July 2018, director
Christopher McQuarrie and co-star Cavill pitched their take on a new Superman film, partially inspired by the animated film
Up (2009), but Warner Bros. did not pursue the idea. Later in 2018, the studio asked
James Gunn to write and direct a Superman film, but he was uncertain if he wanted to take on the character. He did not have a clear vision, especially since Superman is a well-known character unlike the
Guardians of the Galaxy whom he adapted for
Marvel Studios in the film
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Gunn chose to make
The Suicide Squad (2021) instead, calling it "the easier path". In September, negotiations for Cavill to reprise his role for a
cameo appearance in
Shazam! (2019) ended due to contract issues, as well as a scheduling conflict with Cavill's
Mission: Impossible commitments. Cavill was reported to be parting ways with the studio, with no plans for him to reprise his role in future projects, but Cavill said in November 2019 that he had not given up on the character and still wanted to do the role justice. At that time, Warner Bros. was unsure which direction to take the character and was talking to "high-profile talent" about the property, including
J. J. Abrams—whose company
Bad Robot signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.'s parent company
WarnerMedia—and
Michael B. Jordan, who pitched himself as a Black version of the character. By May 2020, Warner Bros. was no longer developing a
Man of Steel sequel, but Cavill was in talks to appear in a different DC film. In February 2021,
Ta-Nehisi Coates was revealed to be writing a new Superman film that Abrams was producing. The film was expected to feature a Black actor portraying Superman, with the potential for Jordan to take on the role.
Development In April 2022,
Discovery, Inc. and WarnerMedia merged to become
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), led by president and CEO
David Zaslav. The new company was expected to restructure
DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary. Zaslav and WBD felt DC lacked a "coherent creative and brand strategy" and were underusing Superman. Over the years, Gunn considered how he would approach Superman if he were ever given another opportunity, and around late August 2022 he was hired to work on a Superman film that was not a sequel to
Man of Steel and would be standalone from the DCEU. Zaslav met with Gunn while he was writing the script. Cavill made a cameo appearance in the
post-credits scene of the DCEU film
Black Adam, released in October 2022, and Warner Bros. was reportedly pursuing a Cavill-led
Man of Steel sequel once again. Roven was producing and the studio was searching for writers. They wanted McQuarrie to direct, but he was unlikely to be available due to his commitments to the
Mission: Impossible franchise. Coates's film was still in development. Cavill's role in
Black Adam was approved by Warner Bros. film chiefs
Michael De Luca and
Pamela Abdy when they were approached directly by
Black Adam star
Dwayne Johnson, who began promoting the idea of co-starring with Cavill in a
Black Adam vs. Superman film. Cavill signed a one-off deal for
Black Adam and only received a verbal agreement that he would continue playing the character in the DCEU. Cavill publicly announced that he would return as Superman for future projects, and said his
Black Adam cameo was a "very small taste" of future plans. He said Superman would be "enormously joyful" moving forward.
Steven Knight wrote a script treatment for the sequel around that time, which reportedly included Brainiac as the antagonist, but Warner Bros. executives were not thrilled with his take.
Michael Bay was eyed to potentially direct the film. took specific inspiration from the comic book series
All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by
Grant Morrison and
Frank Quitely. He included the cover art for the comic's first issue (pictured) in the film's announcement. Gunn and
The Suicide Squad producer
Peter Safran were announced as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed
DC Studios at the end of October 2022. A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun developing an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new
DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "
soft reboot" of the DCEU.
Andy Muschietti, the director of the DCEU film
The Flash (2023), expressed interest in directing a Superman project with a similar tone to director
Richard Donner's film
Superman (1978). In early November, Cavill expressed interest in a future project that explored Superman's "capacity to give and to love" the people of Earth and to inspire others, and said he was looking forward to meeting with Gunn to discuss future opportunities. Work on the
Man of Steel sequel stalled later that month while Gunn and Safran were developing their plans, at which point Gunn was publicly revealed to be writing a new DC film. In December, Gunn said Superman was one of the top priorities for DC Studios, before publicly announcing that he was writing a new Superman film. The film was set to focus on a
younger version of the character and would therefore not star Cavill. There was potential for Gunn to direct the film as well. It would not retell the
origin of Superman, and would focus on him as a young reporter interacting with key characters such as
Lois Lane. Gunn and Safran met with Cavill to explain their decision and discuss potentially working with him for a different role in the future. In January 2023, Gunn and Safran unveiled the first projects from their DCU slate, which began with
Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Their Superman film was the first film in that chapter and was officially titled
Superman: Legacy. It was given a release date of July 11, 2025, which coincides with the birthday of Gunn's late father. Safran wanted Gunn to direct the film. Gunn said
Superman: Legacy would take specific inspiration from the comic book
All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by
Grant Morrison and
Frank Quitely. The film was also inspired by the
Superman animated shorts (1941–1943) and
Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000), and by other comics books such as:
Superman: Birthright (2003–04); the "
Brainiac" story arc (2008);
Superman: Ending Battle (2002);
Superman for All Seasons (1998);
Kingdom Come (1996); Morrison's
Action Comics run; and "
Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" (1986). Gunn considered using Brainiac as the antagonist for the film. He ultimately sought to "balance what was classic and what was completely new", and chose to incorporate imagery and aesthetics from the
Silver Age of Comic Books alongside "authentic" storytelling that was focused on Superman's character. Gunn also cited the
kaiju film,
Godzilla Minus One (2023) as an inspiration in regards to the humanity of the characters as well as the depiction of the giant monster that attacks Metropolis. DCU writer
Tom King said in March 2023 that Gunn was also directing the film, which Gunn confirmed later that month. At that time, Safran was confirmed to be producing the film with Gunn, doing so through their respective production companies, the Safran Company and Troll Court Entertainment. Gunn was hesitant to direct the film, despite encouragement from Safran and others, until he realized how focusing on Superman's heritage with his aristocratic
Kryptonian parents and adoptive farmer parents from
Smallville, Kansas, would inform the characterization. Gunn felt emotionally connected to this aspect of the film because of his late father. He said in April that the film's tone would differ from his
Guardians of the Galaxy films (2014–2023), and he suggested that Superman's dog
Krypto could appear.
Pre-production Before and during the 2023 labor strikes Production design, costume design, and casting began in April 2023. Production designer Beth Mickle and costume designer
Judianna Makovsky returned from
The Suicide Squad and Gunn's
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). Filming was set to begin in January 2024. Gunn said the character
Jimmy Olsen would appear. He did not intend for the film to be a comedy and intended for it to differ from previous
Superman films while respecting what came before. Gunn completed the first draft of the script at the end of April. Production was not expected to be impacted by the
2023 Writers Guild of America strike when it began in early May. Gunn was looking for an actor to play Superman who possessed the character's humanity, kindness, and compassion, and was "somebody who you want to give a hug". Audition tapes for the main roles of Superman, Lois Lane, and
Lex Luthor were submitted by early May. Gunn began watching them later that month, while he was
storyboarding the film. At this point, Gunn watched the film
Pearl (2022) and
David Corenswet's performance in it stood out to him. Corenswet had previously expressed his desire to portray Superman and his audition was one of the first Gunn saw. Corenswet became a top contender for Superman and was set to do a screen test by early June.
Jacob Elordi,
Tom Brittney, and Andrew Richardson were also in consideration, though Elordi declined to read for the role.
Patrick Schwarzenegger, the
Arrowverse series
Supergirl (2015–2021) guest star
Pierson Fodé, and
Jack Quaid—the voice of Superman in the animated series
My Adventures with Superman (2023–present)—all submitted
self-tapes for Superman.
Emma Mackey,
Rachel Brosnahan,
Samara Weaving, and
Phoebe Dynevor tested for Lane; Dynevor was one of the final contenders. Brosnahan made an audition tape with her husband
Jason Ralph, who read Superman's lines.
Nicholas Hoult, the runner-up to play
Bruce Wayne / Batman in the standalone DC film
The Batman (2022), was eyed for Luthor but chose to pursue the role of Superman instead, because he felt while he could play Luthor well, he insisted himself to focus on auditioning for Superman. Gunn considered A-list actors he had already worked with for Luthor and discussed the role with a
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 actor that was reported to be
Bradley Cooper. Black actors were also being considered for Luthor. Testing took place using the label "Apex", a reference to a comic version of Luthor called
Apex Luthor. Other superheroes were expected to be established in the film's setting, with casting underway for a Black actor to play
Michael Holt / Mister Terrific. In-person screen tests took place at the
Warner Bros. Studios lot in
Burbank, California, with Gunn and Safran in mid-June 2023. The actors tested in makeup and costume as Kent and Lane in the following pairs: Hoult and Brosnahan, Brittney and Dynevor, and Corenswet and Mackey. The Kent contenders then tested in costume as Superman against Mackey. One of Cavill's original DCEU
Superman suits, which was in poor condition, was used for the tests. Gunn said Brittney "messed it up" and then it was "torn to shreds" by Corenswet, who was too tall. Gunn edited the tests together to be played for a deciding committee that included Zaslav, and the casting of Corenswet as Superman and Brosnahan as Lane was announced on June 27. Gunn personally contacted the actors to inform them of their castings, and he offered the role of Superman to Corenswet while he was filming
Twisters (2024) on the condition that he treat everyone involved in the film with kindness and respect, citing his experiences with
Chris Pratt (
Peter Quill / Star-Lord in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe) and
John Cena (
Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in the DCEU) doing the same. Casting for other roles was set to follow, including for members of the superhero team
the Authority who were expected to be introduced in
Superman: Legacy ahead of
a planned film about the team. Brothers
Alexander and
Bill Skarsgård were on the shortlist for Luthor. It was unclear whether Hoult would return to try for Luthor again, but Gunn later contacted Hoult about playing Luthor, which he accepted after realizing he was better suited for the role. Corenswet and Brosnahan each earned $750,000 for their roles, while Hoult was the highest-paid actor in
Superman, earning $2million. They were all eligible for bonuses based on the film's box office performance. Gunn was paid $15million for his work on
Superman, in addition to his seven-figure salary for his role at DC Studios. On July 11, 2023, the casting of
Isabela Merced,
Edi Gathegi, and
Nathan Fillion, respectively, as the superheroes
Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and
Guy Gardner / Green Lantern was announced. Merced tested as
Barbara Gordon / Batgirl for the unreleased DCEU film
Batgirl, while Fillion starred in several of Gunn's earlier films including as
Cory Pitzner / T.D.K. in
The Suicide Squad and had previously voiced fellow Green Lantern
Hal Jordan in several animated projects. Gathegi was cast over 200 other actors.
Anthony Carrigan, who expressed interest in playing Luthor, was cast as the superhero
Rex Mason / Metamorpho the next day. Gunn chose some of these actors some time earlier but had been waiting until Superman and Lane were cast before negotiating further actor deals, leaving little time to complete negotiations before the
2023 SAG-AFTRA strike began on July 14. In response to concerns that other superheroes would take away from the story of Superman and Lane, Gunn said those two characters remained the film's focus and the other actors were being cast for multiple DCU projects. He later elaborated that a large cast of characters was included in the film because he wanted to explore Clark Kent's interactions with his colleagues and Superman's interactions with other superheroes, and show how those groups impact the character's values and choices.
Post-labor strikes When the WGA strike ended in September 2023,
Superman: Legacy was expected to begin filming in early-to-mid 2024.
Jason Momoa, who portrayed
Aquaman in the DCEU, was reported the following month to have discussed portraying the character
Lobo in either this film or a solo film; he was later cast in that role for the DCU film
Supergirl (2026), originally titled
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. The SAG-AFTRA strike ended on November 9, and filming was clarified to be beginning in March 2024. Gunn said the film would still make its July 2025 release date.
María Gabriela de Faría was revealed to be cast as
Angela Spica / The Engineer, one of the film's antagonists and a member of the Authority, in mid-November.
Madison Beer said she submitted a self-tape and unsuccessfully auditioned for a role, as did
O'Shea Jackson Jr. Hoult was in talks to portray Luthor prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and negotiations for the role were continuing in November, when
Skyler Gisondo and
Sara Sampaio were revealed to have been respectively cast as Jimmy Olsen and Luthor's assistant
Eve Teschmacher. Gunn said Gisondo, Sampaio, and de Faría had been cast prior to the strike, and the roles of Mister Terrific and Teschmacher were particularly difficult to cast and required many auditions. In December 2023, Gunn's brother
Sean was cast as
Maxwell Lord for future DCU projects, after
Pedro Pascal played the role in the DCEU film
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). The character was expected to be referenced in
Superman: Legacy but it was unknown if he would appear in the film. James Gunn confirmed that Hoult had finalized a deal to portray Luthor, and
Miriam Shor entered negotiations for an undisclosed role after appearing in
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The Hollywood Reporter also said the cast included Sean Gunn and
Pom Klementieff, who starred in the
Guardians of the Galaxy films, before James Gunn stated that Klementieff was not involved in the film and Shor had not been cast. He added that the film's script had been mostly completed before the writers' strike. Gunn said in January that work on the sets, prosthetics, and visual effects models were underway, the costumes were being completed, and most of the actors had been cast. Brosnahan said the film was being made with a lot of love for the source material, as many cast and crew members had grown up watching
Superman films and reading the comics. At the end of the month,
Milly Alcock was cast as Superman's cousin
Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. The character was reported to be making her debut in
Superman: Legacy ahead of starring in her own DCU film,
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Alcock had performed auditions and screen tests in costume on the
Superman: Legacy set in
Atlanta,
Georgia, earlier in January.
Pre-production work in
Ohio began in early February 2024, with the
Ohio Department of Development announcing that
Superman: Legacy would be partially filmed in
Cleveland and
Cincinnati. The film was awarded over $11million through the state's tax credit program, based on a $37million spend in the state out of the film's reported total gross production budget of $363.8million; Gunn disputed the accuracy of this budget, which would have made it one of the most expensive superhero films ever made. The film was later reported to have a net production budget of $225million with incentives and tax breaks factored in. Also in February,
Bassem Youssef said he had been cast in the film—reportedly as Rumaan Harjadi, the leader of a fictional Middle Eastern country—but his character was removed from the script. He believed this was potentially due to comments he made in October 2023 criticizing the
Israeli government during the
Gaza war. Gunn disputed this, explaining that he discussed a role with Youssef before the WGA strike but the actor had not been formally offered the part, and the character was removed after the strike ended and before Youssef's comments were made. A
table read with the cast was held on February 22, and Gunn revealed that Terence Rosemore was portraying Luthor's henchman
Otis Berg after having small roles in some of Gunn's prior films. Zaslav said filming would begin the following week, when Gunn announced that he had shortened the film's title to
Superman. He had come to feel while writing the film that it was about looking forward while the
Legacy subtitle was about looking backward.
Filming Principal photography began on February 29, 2024, which is Superman's birthday in the comic books. Filming took place in the
Adventdalen valley in
Svalbard, Norway, for one week to shoot scenes featuring the
Fortress of Solitude. Gunn chose Svalbard for its natural beauty, landscapes, and similarities to
Antarctica, where the Fortress is located. Filming occurred under the
working title Genesis.
Henry Braham returned as cinematographer from the later two
Guardians of the Galaxy films,
The Suicide Squad, and
The Flash. The entire film was shot using
IMAX certified
Red Digital Cinema cameras. Filming was delayed from an initial January 2024 start by the SAG-AFTRA strike, and was expected to last around four months. Effects studio
Legacy Effects worked on the film's
practical effects, contributing character designs,
prosthetic makeup, specialty suits, and
animatronics.
Wendell Pierce was cast as
Perry White at the start of March. Filming at
Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, had begun by March 8, while filming in Cleveland and Cincinnati was set to take 37 days between April 1 and August 23. Filming was also expected to take place in
Macon, Georgia. In April,
Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell were cast as
Jonathan and
Martha Kent, while
Beck Bennett,
Mikaela Hoover, and newcomer Christopher McDonald were cast as
Daily Planet employees
Steve Lombard,
Cat Grant, and
Ron Troupe in June. Hoover previously appeared in several of Gunn's films. Corenswet and Brosnahan filmed a 12-minute interview scene together, which Gunn described as ten percent of the film shot in two days, and highlighted their chemistry as "palpable". The 1940 film
His Girl Friday was a major reference for depicting their relationship as "equal match[es]" for each other with a "longing romance" and witty comedy inspired by the works of
Preston Sturges. Characters from the first season of the animated DCU series
Creature Commandos (2024–25) were expected to appear in the film, and Gunn and Safran intended for the same actors to portray characters across animation and live-action in the DCU; set photos revealed that
Frank Grillo was reprising his role as
Rick Flag Sr. from that series. The production moved to
Northeast Ohio on June 14, when filming took place at the
Headlands Beach State Park in
Mentor, Ohio. Six weeks of filming took place throughout Cleveland, beginning in
downtown Cleveland on June 24. Filming locations included Ontario Street, the
Cleveland Greyhound Station,
Public Square, the
Detroit–Superior Bridge,
PNC Plaza,
Progressive Field, and
Cleveland Arcade. Exterior shots of the
Huntington Bank Building,
Key Tower, and the
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument were filmed in Public Square. The exterior of the
Leader Building stood in for the headquarters of the
Daily Planet, and Key Tower was used as the headquarters for
Stagg Enterprises. Filming in Cleveland was completed on July 16, when Gunn said there were a couple weeks left of shooting. The production moved to Cincinnati by July 18, taking place at the
Cincinnati Museum Center in
Union Terminal and in the
Lytle Tunnel. Filming
wrapped on July 30.
Post-production In August 2024, Sean Gunn confirmed his casting as Maxwell Lord for the film. The following month,
Alan Tudyk was revealed to have a role in the film after voicing several characters in
Creature Commandos; Tudyk voices the
Superman robot "Four". Comic book writer
Mark Waid revealed that Krypto was appearing in the film, which Gunn officially confirmed in October. He explained that the character's portrayal was inspired by his dog Ozu, who was adopted soon after Gunn began writing
Superman, and said Ozu was at first "problematic to say the least... I remember thinking, 'Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?'—and thus Krypto came into the script and changed the shape of the story". Gunn began
test screening the film by the start of December. A day-and-a-half of individual
pick-up shots were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles shortly after, which Gunn said was to "enhance the film" rather than reshoot any scenes. Alcock was confirmed to be appearing in the film in January 2025. Three days of pick-ups had also taken place in Atlanta by the end of May, and Gunn said the film was completed and received a
picture lock on June 5. Later that month,
Michael Rooker and Klementieff were confirmed to have voiced two Superman robots alongside Cooper and
Angela Sarafyan as Superman's Kryptonian parents
Jor-El and
Lara Lor-Van.
William Hoy and
Craig Alpert co-edited the film, after they respectively worked on the DC films
The Batman and
Blue Beetle (2023). Much of the visual effects team from
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 returned to work with Gunn on
Superman, including visual effects supervisor
Stéphane Ceretti. Visual effects were provided by
Framestore,
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), and
Wētā FX. The film features 1,766 visual effects shots. Framestore created Krypto and shared the asset with ILM and Wētā, because each studio had Krypto shots to deliver. Framestore also worked on the Fortress of Solitude. ILM scanned the practical build of the Hammer of Boravia, built by Legacy, and developed the full CG version. ILM created Metropolis with
New York City as the reference point for scale, style, and density, and used shots filmed in Cleveland to become part of Metropolis. Wētā created the kaiju creature and used ILM's asset of Metropolis for the kaiju fight sequence. The VFX team created a digital version of
Cleveland Public Square so that Wētā could make shots that required extensive camera work that could not be achieved with drones, and also created all the interactions of the kaiju with the environment. == Music ==