David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Superman and Lois Lane repectively in Superman: Legacy. AFP
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Superman and Lois Lane repectively in Superman: Legacy. AFP
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Superman and Lois Lane repectively in Superman: Legacy. AFP
David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan have been cast as Superman and Lois Lane repectively in Superman: Legacy. AFP

Arts & Culture

Who are new Superman: Legacy stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan?

The film, part of DC Studios ambitious 10-year plan, is set to be released in July 2025

David Tusing

June 28, 2023

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James Gunn has found his new Superman and Lois Lane in David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.

The DC Studios co-chair, who is also writing and directing Superman: Legacy for July 2025, tweeted about the casting on Tuesday.

"They are not only both incredible actors, but also wonderful people," Gunn shared, along with an article from The Hollywood Reporter announcing the casting.

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.

Given Superman's status in pop culture, the role is considered one of the most high-profile and highly scrutinised.

Besides Cavill, Superman has previously been played on the big screen by Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh.

Who is David Corenswet?

David Corenswet at the premiere of HBO mini-series We Own This City in 2022 in New York City. AFP
David Corenswet at the premiere of HBO mini-series We Own This City in 2022 in New York City. AFP

A Philadelphia native, the actor is best known for his role in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician and Hollywood, as an aspiring actor. He also starred in HBO crime drama We Own This City, which was released last year.

More recently, Corenswet played a theatre owner who gets mixed up with Mia Goth’s aspiring actress in Ti West’s slasher film Pearl.

He will next appear in the Apple series Lady in the Lake and a sequel to the 1996 film Twister called Twisters, scheduled to be released next year.

Who is Rachel Brosnahan?

Rachel Brosnahan at the Tony Awards in New York City on June 11, 2023. AFP
Rachel Brosnahan at the Tony Awards in New York City on June 11, 2023. AFP

Brosnahan is the more well-known of the two having recently concluded her run leading Amazon Prime Video show 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.

What will Superman: Legacy be about?

Gunn has said the new Superman film will deal with the superhero’s journey to make sense of both his aristocratic Kryptonian heritage and his small town, mid-western upbringing as Clark Kent. It's an angle, he added, that's his "way in" to the beloved superhero's story.

Superman: Legacy is part of the new slate of films announced by Gunn after taking on the role of co-chief executive of DC Studios, along with Peter Safran.

Gunn was hired alongside veteran producer Safran last year to help revamp Warner Bros’s DC strategy. Their ambitious 10-year plan kicks off with Superman: Legacy, with which they aim to connect characters across the DC Universe.

The announcement of the new Superman film came after it was disclosed that Cavill would not be returning to reprise the role in the new phase of the franchise.

“I completely relate to Superman because he’s everything I am,” Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter in April. “He’s somebody who is an outsider who feels like an alien, but also the ultimate insider, because he’s Superman. And that’s kind of like what I feel like.”

– Agencies contributed to this report

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The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Updated: June 28, 2023, 7:40 AM
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