Which is why there was collective “ohhhhh” exhaled when it was confirmed the younger of the pair – 29-year-old Corenswet – will follow Cavill in portraying Clark Kent in the beloved superhero franchise. He’ll star opposite The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan, confirmed as Lois Lane.
The news comes months after Cavill, 40, confirmed that he would not be returning as Superman in the DCU – a shock to many as the British actor only recently made a cameo as the character in Black Adam.
9 celebrity ‘revenge’ dresses that have gone down in history
So, whatever side of the divide you sit on, who is the up-and-coming American upstart – and will he fill Superman’s – or should we say Cavill’s – shoes? Here’s what we know about the new Superman so far …
His background
Born in 1993 in Philadelphia, to a lawyer mum and stage-actor-turned-lawyer dad, Corenswet began as a child actor, according to The Things. His grandfather Edward Packard is the brains behind the Choose Your Own Adventure book concept.
Corenswet graduated with a bachelor in fine arts from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City in 2016. “I didn’t have a dream of being an actor, even though my dad was a theatre actor for many years,” he told MTV News in 2020. “When I auditioned for my first play in Philadelphia when I was nine, he knew the territory a little bit. He understood the culture and the logistics of it.”
Rather than DC Comics though, Corenswet said he was fan of Star Wars, James Bond and Indiana Jones and wanted to be as close to these “worlds” as he could. Oppsie.
He had an a cappella group in high school
A singing Superman?
Perhaps not, but Corenswet clearly has multiple talents to his name. Back in high school, he started his own a cappella group with three friends. “We were briefly called Three Card Monte, and then we added a fourth [member], and so that ruined the whole thing,” he told EW in 2020.
Inside the lavish lifestyle of Lauren Sánchez’s son, Nikko Gonzalez
What’s he acted in so far?
While Corenswet has been in the industry for years, Superman: Legacy will ultimately be his big break. That’s not to say he hasn’t accumulated an impressive CV so far though.
In 2014, he co-created and starred in an internet sketch series called Moe and Jerryweather and made cameos in Elementary (2017) and House of Cards (2018), before joining the cast of The Politician in 2019 and Hollywood in 2020.
More recently, last year Corenswet starred in Netflix’s Look Both Ways alongside Lili Reinhart and A24’s horror flick Pearl with Mia Goth.
Was Corenset destined for Superman?
Did he see it coming along?
Whatever he said later in 2019 the 193cm tall lad told EW: “[My] pie-in-the-sky ambition is definitely to play Superman. I would love to see somebody do an upbeat, throwback [take on Superman]. I love the Henry Cavill dark and gritty take, but I would love to see the next one be very bright and optimistic.”
Ivanka Trump or Kate Middleton – who wore the Lotus Lady dress better?
Was that a glimpse of what’s to come? Only time will tell.
He loves dogs
A quick peep at Corenswet’s Instagram – which currently boasts over 450,000 followers – shows that he is very fond of man’s best friend.
From snowy days out to a swim in the lake, this American actor spends plenty of quality time with his pup.
Yes, he knows he looks like Henry Cavill
It’s hard to deny their resemblance.
But way before it was announced Corenswet would join the DCU, people were already drawing comparisons between the two actors. “It came to my attention before the internet got a hold of me,” he told EW in 2019 about the parallels.
When news of his Superman role broke the internet last week, memes abounded with some fans even asking if the duo were related.
Who’s the richest Depp? The family’s net worths, ranked
According to The Wrap, Corenswet beat out Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney for the gig. But before that gets going he has multiple other career-making projects including Twisters with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell, and Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake with Natalie Portman.
