Last December, it was announced that Henry Cavill’s time as Superman had come to an end in favor of DC Studios co-head James Gunn helming a reboot centered on the Man of Steel. That project, now known as Superman: Legacy, is currently in the next phase of casting, and we may learn in the coming weeks who will play the new versions of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Legacy is also expected to feature Lex Luthor but now there’s word that the upcoming DC movie will also set up an important DCU team.
Within the latest edition of THR’s Heart Vision newsletter, it’s mentioned that after screen tests for the Clark and Lois roles are held over Father’s Day weekend, the Superman: Legacy team will focus on casting Lex Luthor and members of The Authority. Those who’ve been keeping track of news surrounding the new DC Universe continuity will remember that The Authority is one of the movies on the Chapter One slate, titled Gods and Monsters, and evidently Legacy will introduce some, if not all of its starring characters. What’s unclear, though, is if the team is already fully established in the next Superman movie, or if these members will be operating on their own, and then they’ll come together in The Authority.
Created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch in 1999 for DC Comics’ Wildstorm imprint, The Authority is a superhero team that was initially chiefly comprised of characters from Ellis’ earlier Stormwatch team, including Apollo, Midnighter and Jenny Sparks. These heroes are willing to take more drastic actions than your average superhero when it comes to protecting the world. Although The Authority stories initially took place outside of the main DC Universe, certain members were incorporated into this reality during the New 52 era through the relaunched Stormwatch comic book series, and the Authority team itself was reestablished just a few years ago in the pages of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s "Superman: Warworld" arc in Action Comics and Grant Morrison’s miniseries Superman and The Authority miniseries.
Given this team’s newly-established close ties with Clark Kent/Kal-El in the comics, plus the fact that Superman: Legacy is considered to be the “true beginning” of the DC Universe, it makes sense that groundwork will be laid for The Authority in this reboot. What I’m curious about, though, is how integral these characters will be to the plot. Will the Authority characters simply cameo in Legacy, or will they play supporting roles in the story. If it’s the latter, and we see an ideological clash between Superman and The Authority, this sounds like it could be similar to the 2012 animated movie Superman vs. The Elite, which was based off the "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way?" comic book story.
As for Lex Luthor, it’s hardly surprising he’ll be included in Superman: Legacy given how he’s Superman’s arch-nemesis. All theatrically-released Superman-centric movies aside from Superman III and Man of Steel have featured the intelligent supervillain, and it’ll be interesting to see how Legacy puts its own unique stamp on the character. Legacy’s Luthor isn’t the only upcoming live-action version of the character on the way though, as next week, Superman & Lois is finally bringing in Michael Cudlitz’s bearded Luthor.
Superman: Legacy hits theaters on July 11, 2025, but The Authority doesn’t have a release date yet. CinemaBlend will continue passing along updates on how these projects, and the other movies and TV shows that have been announced for the DC Universe franchise, are progressing. Until then, revisit plenty of past cinematic and small screen DC offerings with a Max subscription.
