The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell.

Development on a sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Man of Steel (2013) began by October 2014, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Superman.

The film explores Clark Kent / Superman's journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his adoptive human family in Smallville, Kansas.

leader Rick Flag Sr., reprising his role from the animated DCU series Creature Commandos (2024–present);[31][32] and Milly Alcock as Superman's cousin Kara Zor-El / Supergirl.

[34][35] Sean said they ignored past depictions of Lord when creating their version, including Peter Facinelli's portrayal in the Arrowverse series Supergirl (2015–2021) and Pedro Pascal's in the DCEU film Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

[42] Man of Steel director Zack Snyder said they had been considering the imprisoned Kryptonians from the first film and the character Brainiac as antagonists for the sequel before work began on Batman v Superman.

[43] A Man of Steel sequel was in active development as a top priority for the studio in August 2016,[44] which Cavill's manager Dany Garcia confirmed the following month.

[50] Before the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout in July 2018, director Christopher McQuarrie and co-star Cavill pitched their take on a new Superman film, but Warner Bros. did not pursue the idea.

The new company was expected to restructure DC Entertainment and Zaslav began searching for an equivalent to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead the new subsidiary.

[65] Cavill made a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of the DCEU film Black Adam, released in October 2022, and Warner Bros. was reportedly pursuing a Cavill-led Man of Steel sequel once again.

[70] Steven Knight wrote a script treatment for the sequel around that time,[71] which reportedly included Brainiac as the antagonist,[68] but Warner Bros. executives were not thrilled with his take.

[71] Gunn and The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran were announced as the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios at the end of October 2022.

[72] A week after starting their new roles, the pair had begun developing an eight-to-ten-year plan for a new DC Universe (DCU) that would be a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.

[100][107] Other superheroes were expected to be established in the film's setting,[11] with casting underway for a Black actor to play Michael Holt / Mister Terrific and for an Asian or Latina actress to portray a character labeled "Blitz".

The actors tested in makeup and costume as Kent and Lane in the following pairs: Hoult and Brosnahan, Brittney and Dynevor, and Corenswet and Mackey.

[113] Gunn edited the tests together to be played for a deciding committee that included Zaslav,[104] and the casting of Corenswet as Superman and Brosnahan as Lane was announced on June 27.

[3] Casting for other roles was set to follow, including for members of the superhero team the Authority who were expected to be introduced in Superman: Legacy ahead of their own film.

[104] On July 11, two years before the film's scheduled release date,[115] the casting of Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and Nathan Fillion respectively as the superheroes Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Guy Gardner / Green Lantern was announced.

[17][118] In response to concerns that other superheroes would take away from the story of Superman and Lane, Gunn said those two characters remained the film's focus and the other actors were being cast for multiple DCU projects.

[125] María Gabriela de Faría was revealed to be cast as Angela Spica / The Engineer, one of the film's antagonists and a member of the Authority, in mid-November.

[22] Madison Beer said she submitted a self-tape and unsuccessfully auditioned for a role, as did O'Shea Jackson Jr.[126][127] Hoult was in talks to portray Luthor prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, and negotiations for the role were continuing in November,[128][129] when Skyler Gisondo and Sara Sampaio were revealed to have been respectively cast as Jimmy Olsen and Luthor's assistant Eve Teschmacher.

[132] In December 2023, Gunn's brother Sean was cast as Maxwell Lord for future DCU projects, after Pedro Pascal played the role in the DCEU film Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).

[35] James Gunn confirmed that Hoult had finalized a deal to portray Luthor,[10] and Miriam Shor entered negotiations for an undisclosed role after appearing in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

[176] A day-and-a-half of individual pick-up shots were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles shortly after, which Gunn said was to "enhance the film" rather than reshoot any scenes.

[183][184][185] Gunn marked the beginning of filming in February 2024 by posting a picture of Superman's shield,[150] which commentators noted for its visual similarity to the character's costume in the Kingdom Come comic book, albeit with the classic yellow and red color scheme.

[186][187] Safran promoted the film on-stage during Warner Bros.' CinemaCon presentation that April, with Gunn, Corenswet, and Brosnahan appearing via video messages.

[189] Gunn released a first-look image of Corenswet in costume in early May, which depicts Superman suiting up while an alien-looking threat attacks in the background.

Elements of the costume were also compared to Jim Lee's design used in DC Comics' 2011 New 52 initiative, while the character's pose and the attack in the background led to speculation about Superman's characterization in the film and what threats he may face.

[193][194] Jordan Moreau at Variety described the poster as an homage to Christopher Reeve's portrayal of Superman in the 1978 film but though the music was quieter and "more thoughtful" than Williams's version.

[83] In January 2025, the estate of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster filed a lawsuit against WBD, asserting that the rights to distribute the film in some international territories had reverted to them based on different copyright laws: the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Australia in 2017, and Canada in 2021.