THE 2025 iteration of the beloved comic book/movie/TV character Superman — this time played by David Corenswet — has him embark on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
Superman, which premieres in regular and IMAX theaters on July 9, is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios. It is the first film in DC’s freshly reimagined cinematic universe.
Co-starring in the film are Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Supporting actors include Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced.
Mr. Corenswet, Ms. Brosnahan, movie director James Gunn, and co-producer Peter Safran kicked off the Superman global promotions tour in the Philippines, speaking to fans on June 19 at the Mall of Asia in Pasay, and to Asia Pacific press on June 20 at the Grand Hyatt Manila in Taguig.
BECOMING SUPERMAN“The gym was the first place I started,” Mr. Corenswet said of his journey to become Superman — a journey that he called “isolating.”
“Whether you’re going to get that extra rep in, or do that extra set, or stay those extra 20 minutes to do your shoulders at the end of a long push day, at that moment, you feel very alone, even while you’re at the gym with other people,” he explained. “And so that was the first moment that I felt like I tapped into a central thing about Superman.”
The film follows the orphaned superhero grappling with the consequences of his mission to save humanity and yearning to find belonging on Earth.
For Mr. Gunn, who served as writer, director, and co-producer, this makes it “a story about humanity, about what it means to be a hero in a world that doesn’t always make it easy to be one.”
“What drew me to this film is Superman’s goodness at heart. He exists in a world that isn’t always kind, and he’s a symbol of hope — not just for the world, but especially for the Philippines. I’m used to writing flawed characters, but Superman is different. He’s not perfect, but he’s a truly good person,” he said.
EVOLVING CHARACTERMeanwhile, Ms. Brosnahan pointed out that her take on Lois Lane is proof of “how much the character has evolved in the history of comics.”
“One of the first questions I asked James [Gunn] before the audition was, where does she fit into the canon of this character that is so familiar to so many of us?” she said. “And we really talked about the importance of her journalism.”
In Superman, Lois Lane balances her role as a love interest and as a superhero in her own right. This meant the actress had to speak with a lot of journalists and do her research on what would make one tick.
“Like Superman, she’s not knocked off balance easily. She can logic her way around just about anything. She’s 10 steps ahead of everyone else — and then along comes this thing she couldn’t have seen coming and it totally knocks her off her feet,” Ms. Brosnahan said.
LOVE OF THE COMICSAs for what longtime Superman fans can expect from the movie as a whole, Mr. Gunn shared that it is built on his own love of the comics as a child.
“I started reading the comics when I was around three or four years old. With this movie, I wanted to see the Superman I fell in love with from the comic books,” he said.
“I wanted to create that feeling I had as a kid, but also a version of Superman grounded in real stakes — real people who have issues and problems in relationships, and who could change themselves.”
Superman premieres in regular and IMAX theaters in the Philippines on July 9. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
