Superman soars back to screens
Director James Gunn says the film is especially for China which he cites as one of the most significant influences on his career, Xu Fan reports.
In the new film, American actor David Corenswet stars as the titular hero with Rachel Brosnahan playing Lois Lane, Superman's love interest. The story explores Superman's struggle to reconcile his alien origins as Kal-El of Krypton with his human identity as Clark Kent, the mild-mannered journalist at the Daily Planet. As he remains committed to using his powers for the good of humanity, he finds himself facing a new threat: tech billionaire Lex Luthor, who hatches a plot to turn public opinion against him.
One of the key steps in preparing for the film was to cast the right actor to play Superman. Gunn reveals that he first saw Corenswet in the 2022 American period horror film Pearl, leaving him with an impression that Corenswet should audition for the role.
In the first round of auditions, around 30 actors and 30 actresses were considered for the lead roles of Superman and Lane. From that pool, the director selected three pairings to undergo screen tests, mixing and matching the finalists to gauge which combination sparked the most compelling on-screen chemistry.
"David and Rachel — at the end of the day, I liked them the best. But more than that, their chemistry was magnetic. They had very different dynamics: David is a little looser, kind of chaotic, while Rachel is very controlled. Together, that contrast made their personalities spark on film," shares Gunn.
