James Gunn has added three more names to cast of Superman: Legacy, including longtime collaborator Nathan Fillion as the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern. Additionally, Isabela Merced has been cast as Hawkgirl, and Edi Gathegi will portray Mister Terrific.
Vanity Fair was the first to report the news of the trio’s castings.
Fillion, who appears in many of Gunn’s projects, already had a DCEU role as T.D.K. (The Detachable Kid) in The Suicide Squad. Considering how that character was left at the end (or really, beginning) of the film, there should be little concern over his new casting. As for the Green Lantern he’ll be portraying, Gardner is one a handful of Earth-based ring-slingers. Unlike the heroic Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds in the best-forgotten 2011 film) or fan-favorite John Stewart, Gardner’s abrasive personality makes his membership in the Lantern Corps contention. Casting Fillion gives a chance to add some humor to Superman: Legacy, especially with Gardner reportedly sporting his classic bowl cut.
Known for roles in Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Merced being cast as Hawkgirl gives Gunn a chance to reconfigure the Thanagarian’s history for his version of the DCU. Aldis Hodge played Hawkman in Black Adam, but with that film bombing along with the rest of the recent DCEU slate, any world-building done there will likely be swept away. Instead, Merced flying, Nth metal weapons master will introduce audiences to a fresh take on the Hawk legacy.
Meanwhile, Gathegi’s casting brings to fruition Gunn’s tease that Mister Terrific would be part of his DCU Chapter 1 plans. The X-Men: First Class and Twilight actor will play Michael Holt, a super-intelligent polymath who once described his superpowers as “learning.” An inventor, tactician, and skilled fighter, he’s able to pick up new skills with minimal training. Along with his trademark “Fair Play” jacket and black mask, Mister Terrific is constantly orbited by multi-functional T-Sphere weapons of his own design.
The new cast members join David Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane in the upcoming superhero epic. Their appearance in the movie — particularly Gardner’s — solidify that Gunn and co-DC Studios boss Peter Safran’s DCU will launch in a world already fully populated by heroes. As for the villains, the choice to play Superman’s nemesis, Lex Luther, is still unknown, though both Alexander and Bill Skarsgård are said to be up for the part, as was former Clark Kent contender Nicholas Hoult.
Gunn is writing and directing Superman: Legacy as the first feature to launch the next iteration of the cinematic iteration of the DC Universe; Variety reports that the animated series Creature Commandos will actually be the first “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters” project to see release. The film is set to hit theaters on July 11th, 2025.