The Jewish roots of DC’s newest ‘Superman’
Actor David Corenswet, whose father came from a prominent Jewish family, is set to play the role in the upcoming DC Studios film, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a Jewish Superman?
Actor David Corenswet was announced on Tuesday as the next Superman in the upcoming DC Studios movie.
James Gunn, the DC Studios co-chair, who is also writing and directing “Superman: Legacy” for July 2025, tweeted about the casting Tuesday, which a representative from Warner Bros. also confirmed.
There has been much speculation over who would fill Superman’s shoes after Henry Cavill’s decade playing the character on the big screen. Corenswet reportedly won the role over the likes of Nicholas Hoult and Tom Brittney.
Corenswet’s father, John Corenswet, who died in 2019 and also worked as an actor before becoming a lawyer, was from a well-known Jewish New Orleans family with longtime ties to the city’s Temple Sinai. David’s mother, Caroline, and sister, Amy, are also lawyers.
The actor has not spoken publicly about his religious identity. On December 25, 2021, Corenswet posted a video to Instagram of himself playing “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole on the piano. A year earlier, he posted another video of himself playing piano in front of a Christmas tree with the caption “Merry Crimbus to all, and to all, a bud light.”
The 29-year-old Philadelphia native starred in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series “The Politician” and “Hollywood,” as an aspiring actor, and more recently played a theater owner who gets mixed up with Mia Goth’s aspiring actress in Ti West’s “Pearl.”
Gunn also announced the casting on Tuesday of the future Lois Lane: actress Brosnahan.
While Brosnahan is not Jewish, she is best known for her run as the very-Jewish star of the “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” for five seasons. Her portrayal of Midge Maisel earned her an Emmy and two Golden Globe awards. Emma Mackey and Phoebe Dynevor were among the actors reportedly also testing for the Lois Lane role.
Gunn was hired alongside veteran producer Peter Safran last year to help revamp Warner Bros.’ DC strategy. Their ambitious 10-year plan kicks off with “Superman: Legacy,” which Gunn said deals with the superhero’s journey to make sense of both his aristocratic Kryptonian heritage and his small-town, midwestern upbringing as Clark Kent.
The Times of Israel Community.