James Gunn shares first look at David Corenswet as Superman and teases a surprise villain

David Corenswet as Superman
(Image credit: DC)

James Gunn has shared the first-ever look at David Corenswet as Superman – and it's pretty epic.

Gunn shared the image to Threads with the caption, "Get ready. Superman. 7.11.25."  The photo, which Gunn says was taken on set by Jess Miglio and was entirely on-camera, sees a rather dirty and beaten-up Clark Kent putting on his signature red boots. In the background, a rather terrifying eyeball-looking creature appears to be causing destruction. 

The scary glowy eyeball in question might very well be Solaris the Tyrant Sun, a villain that made its first appearance in DC One Million #1 back in 1998. It's also featured in the 2005 comic series All-Star Superman and its 2011 animated adaptation, which was released direct-to-video by Warner Bros. Animation.

Superman, which was formerly known as Superman: Legacy, is the the first movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DCU – titled Chapter One: Gods and Monsters – and follows a younger Superman as he embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.

It was announced back in July that Corenswet, who you might recognize from Ti West's Pearl,  had won the role. He reportedly beat out Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney.

The full cast includes Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Maria Gabriela de Faria as The Engineer, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Terence Rosemare as Otis, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

Superman is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025. For more, check out our list of all the upcoming DC movies and shows you need to know about.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.