It's certainly no easy task to fill the boots of beloved predecessors such as Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill, but the consensus seems to be that David Corenswet's performance as Superman in the film of the same name was really good. He received particular praise for his chemistry with Lois Lane, brilliantly played by Rachel Brosnahan.
But the fact that he would get the chance to play Superman at all was far from obvious, at least according to him. In an interview with Variety, Corenswet recounts how he got the role, with his agent taking the call:
"Well, when I got the audition, I was standing on a ladder changing a light fixture. My agent said, 'We think you know what this is about.' I said, ' Is it 'Top Gun 3'? What am I waiting for?" I really wasn't expecting it, although I think other people thought I should be expecting it. Just statistically speaking, it feels completely impossible."
When Corenswet was cast, many people were still hoping that Cavill would make a comeback, and there was wild speculation about alternatives — in which he himself was never mentioned because he was a lesser-known actor. Even though he got the role, he was still unsure if he was the right person for the job and told Gunn that he should have chosen someone cooler:
"I said to James Gunn, 'If you wanted somebody cool, you should have hired somebody else.' And he was like, 'Oh, believe me. I know.'"
Corenswet's charm and slightly boyish appearance were a hit with audiences, and Superman is considered a great success, which led to the sequel Man of Tomorrow being fast-tracked and set to premiere in July 2027.