James Gunn's Superman casts Diary of a Wimpy Kid actor as Ma Kent

News
By published

James Gunn's Superman has cast its Ma Kent

Ma Kent in comics and Neva Howell
(Image credit: DC / Neva Howell)

Superman needs parents, and Pa Kent needs a Ma Kent, and therefore actor Neva Howell has been cast as Ma Kent in James Gunn's Superman film, according to a report from The Wrap. This is hot on the heels of The Walking Dead actor Pruitt Taylor Vince reportedly being cast as the aforementioned Pa Kent.

Howell has a few credits under her belt, with her most recent being an appearance in the 2021 film Ghosts of the Ozarks. She also played a minor role in 2017's Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie.

With both of Clark Kent/Superman's adoptive parents now apparently in place, the cast of writer/director Gunn's Superman movie is taking shape. Alongside Howell as Ma and Vince as Pa, the cast includes David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman himself, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Wendall Pierce as Perry White.

The film also includes an entire Justice League consisting of The Suicide Squad's Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Madame Web's Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho.

Ma and Pa Kent actually took a little while to appear in comics, showing up in 1939's Superman #1 by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Superman himself first appeared in 1938's Action Comics #1.

Gunn's Superman film was originally titled Superman: Legacy, but the filmmaker, who is also co-CEO of DC Films, revealed the shortened title earlier this year along with the film's Superman emblem. Superman will be the first big movie of Gunn and co-CEO Peter Saffron's relaunched DC Films, which has an entire slate of new DC movies and series planned, including a Batman and Robin film titled The Brave and the Bold.

Superman arrives on July 11, 2025. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows heading your way in 2024 and beyond.  

George Marston
George Marston

I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since 2011. I've also been the on-site reporter at most major comic conventions such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and C2E2. Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs. (They/Them)