Superman returns to screens in effort to save superhero movies

The first trailer has been released for James Gunn’s hotly-awaited reboot of Superman, a film that Hollywood is hoping will come to its rescue as one of the biggest releases of 2025.

David Corenswet plays the Man of Steel in the movie that’s intended to kick-start a new era for DC Studios, which writer-director Gunn and producer Peter Safran took over in 2022.

The trailer starts with Superman crashing to Earth in an icy landscape before being revived by Krypto the Superdog, who looks set to become a fan favourite.

The two-minute trailer also unveiled Rachel Brosnahan as the latest Lois Lane and British actor Nicholas Hoult as a bald and menacing Lex Luthor.

Corenswet, 31, who has previously appeared in TV series The Politician, Hollywood and We Own This City, is the fourth person to play the role in a major Superman movie, and the first for a decade.

Henry Cavill, who appeared in 2013’s Man of Steel and its spin-offs, announced in 2022 that he would return to the role – but Gunn and Safran decided to replace him after they took over DC.

However, many fans felt Cavill was unfairly treated and in recent days have been airing their views on social media that he should be allowed to finish his Superman saga.

Corenswet has taken ownership of the cape, though, and is seen in the trailer saving a girl from an explosion, smashing out of a glass cabinet and kissing Lois in mid-air.

He also has a rock hurled at his head by a member of an angry crowd as he walks into a Stagg Industries building, and his Clark Kent alter-ego is seen in the Daily Planet newspaper office and with Pa Kent (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) in rural Kansas.

The trailer also unveils other characters including Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Rex Mason/Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Michael Holt/Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).

It received a broadly enthusiastic reaction on social media after being released. The film will reach cinemas on 11 July 2025.

It comes at a key moment for Hollywood, which is trying to retain excitement around blockbuster films after a number of box office misfires and the onset of “superhero fatigue”.

DC has struggled to find major hits in recent years, with films like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman 1984 and Joker: Folie à Deux – part of the wider DC stable – each earning less than $60m (£48m) at the North American box office.

Elswehere in Hollywood, Sony’s latest phase of superhero films ended with a flop when Kraven the Hunter opened with takings of just $11m (£9m) last weekend.

Kraven the Hunter was the last in Sony’s series related to the Spider-Man universe – alongside the Venom franchise, which performed relatively well, and Morbius and Madame Web, which did not.

Meanwhile, Deadpool & Wolverine was a big success for Marvel this summer and the studio remains the biggest hitter, but that was its only release this year. It is due to kick off its sixth phase with a Fantastic Four reboot in 2025.

David A Gross, who writes the FranchiseRe box office newsletter, said a result like Kraven’s was “the new normal for superhero films” because “nothing is working outside of well established stories”.

Four superhero films were released in 2024 and there will be another four in 2025 – down from seven before the pandemic, he said.

“The Superman story has the history and pedigree to be a hit in today’s market,” he told BBC News. “It’s a ‘classic’ and will be taken seriously by both superhero fanatics and broader fans.

“James Gunn knows what he’s doing and gives the project total credibility. With this kind of story, casting is changeable, and in this case the new cast is a plus – it’s part of updating the story.

“Nothing is a given now for the superhero genre, but Superman should do very well, and these films are strong around the world.”

The film is expected to focus on its titular character balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing.

Gunn has said it starts “right in the middle of the action”, with Superman already in existence, and “takes place over a short amount of time”.

He has also said there’s “plenty of humor in it” – although less than in some of his previous films like Suicide Squad or Guardians of the Galaxy.

“People like Rachel are so funny and David is very [funny as well], so there’s humour in it,” he said.

“But it’s trying to create something that is grounded, but also it’s an incredibly fanciful world, it’s fantasy, it’s taking from other things like Game of Thrones, where it’s this universe where superheroes actually exist. What are they like? There’s a magic there that’s undeniable.”

Corenswet’s Superman is seen wearing the hero’s famous red trunks – but Gunn said he was “on the no-trunks team for a long time” before filming started, until the star convinced him otherwise.

“One of the things David said is that Superman wants kids to not be afraid of him. He’s an alien. He’s got these incredible powers. He shoots beams out of his eyes, can blow the truck over.

“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. And I was like, that really clicked in for me.”