Superman release date, trailer, cast, and everything you need to know about the new movie

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's the Superman release date, bringing the first entry in James Gunn's DCU: Chapter One. No DC cinematic universe is complete without the Man of Steel, and the Guardians of the Galaxy director is going to make sure his vision starts off on the right foot by directing Superman himself.

David Corenswet follows in the footsteps of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh as the last Kryptonian, adorning the legendary hero's cape for a bold, new era in superhero movies. He stars opposite Rachel Brosnahan, who's portraying Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult, who'll be playing sworn enemy Lex Luthor.

The first Superman trailer, jam packed with Easter eggs, has us incredibly excited for the hero's return. All sorts of rumors have surrounded the picture and how it'll set up the franchise, but we've done the legwork to bring you nothing but the facts. We have the Superman release date, plot, trailer, cast and more on one of the biggest upcoming superhero movies to arrive in 2025.

Superman release date

Superman will release on July 11, 2025. That's right; we only have a few more months of waiting left for one of the most exciting upcoming DC movies!

Despite the WGA writers' strike and the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, which both took place in 2023, the movie hasn't been delayed and has officially wrapped principal photography. We've also seen the first trailer drop, so it's unlikely that there will be any date changes in the future.

Superman trailer

Superman | Official Teaser Trailer - YouTube

Watch On

The trailer for Superman dropped in December 2024 and it looks amazing. In the clip above you'll see our first look at Superman, showing all his sides as we see him with his family, with his love interest, and finally with his face all bloody from a massive fight.

The trailer didn't give any major plot details, but we do know that Lex Luthor will be the main big bad in the film and that Superman will likely be coming to terms with his various identities. Exciting stuff!

In late January 2025, a new Superman teaser was released, with some new footage including Lex Luthor stepping out of a helicopter, and Superman flying over an icy landscape (you can see it below).

Superman plot 

Not much is known about the plot of Superman just yet, but we do have some basics to go off. The main thing we know is that the film will focus on a young Clark Kent as a reporter at The Daily Planet, and it will look at how he balances his Kryptonian and human heritage. It also won't be an origin story.

Beyond that, the film is a bit of a mystery, though, from the cast, which we dive into below, we can assume that Lex Luthor will be the movie's villain, or one of them at least, and that other key DC characters will be making appearances. In the trailer Lex is on full display so it's looking more likely that he'll be Superman's primary foe this time round though.

We also have an idea what comics have inspired the movie. "[Corenswet] mentioned how the vibes of the new movie are based on For All Seasons and All-Star, but the story is 'totally its own thing,'" The Direct's Senior Editor David Thompson shared on Twitter.

All-Star Superman is one of the comics being read in a photo from the set shared by Gunn, which you can check out below.

Superman cast: who is playing Superman?

Superman has a fairly stacked cast. Here's the line-up:

• David Corenswet – Superman
• Nicholas Hoult – Lex Luthor
• Rachel Brosnahan – Lois Lane
• Skyler Gisondo – Jimmy Olsen
• Isabela Merced – Hawkgirl
• Nathan Fillion – Guy Gardner
• Edi Gathegi – Mister Terrific
• Anthony Carrigan – Metamorpho
• Wendell Pierce - Perry White
• Pruitt Taylor Vince – Jonathan Kent
• Neva Howell – Martha Kent

Sean Gunn has also been cast as Maxwell Lord in the DCU, though it's currently unclear if he'll be showing up in Superman – similarly, House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock will play Supergirl, but it's not known for certain if she'll be appearing in this film.

Will Reeve, the youngest son of late actor Christopher Reeve, is set to have a special cameo as a TV reporter in the movie, too. Might he have a run-in with Clark Kent from the Daily Planet? His father Christopher, of course, is forever linked with the DC character, having brought the Kryptonian to life in 1978, 1980, 1983, and 1987.

James Gunn recently shared a picture of the main cast together – including a bald Nicholas Hoult really getting into his role as Lex Luthor.

First look at Superman's suit

James Gunn celebrated Superman's birthday by revealing the tiniest of glimpses from Superman's suit. While we can't glean too much from the post (which you can see below), Superman's iconic 'S' chest logo still remains, though it appears to be made of fabric this time around. The 'S' also partially resembles the logo used by the character in Mark Waid and Alex Ross' seminal comic Kingdom Come.

A new logo for the film was unveiled at CinemaCon, too, which looks metallic, is bright yellow and red, and features an 'S' tapering off at the base.

We also have an even better look at Corenswet in costume, thanks to an image Gunn shared on Threads, which you can see below. The pic shows Clark looking pretty beat up and dirty, pulling on one of his red boots as all sorts of chaos goes down out the window behind him in the skies above Metropolis. Maybe ties those laces a bit quicker, eh, Supes? The chaos 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, but this has yet to be confirmed.

Is Superman connected to any other DC films? And what happened to Henry Cavill?

Superman is the first film of the new DCU, which begins with Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. This is totally different from the old DCEU, which began with Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, and ended with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

James Gunn and Peter Safran's new universe is a reboot of the DC cinematic franchise, and it has no connection to the old set of films. It is, however, connected to the rest of the DCU – which began with the animated show Creature Commandos on Max.

As for Cavill, he played Superman in the old DCEU, and, despite announcing his return to the role after his Black Adam post-credits scene appearance, is no longer the Man of Steel. You can read our full breakdown on what happened with Henry Cavill as Superman through the link.

For more super films, check out our guide on how to watch all the DC movies in order. Or check out our list of the best superhero movies of all time.