NEW MOVIES: July 10-16, 2025, “Superman,” “Sovereign,” “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” “Abraham’s Boys: A Dracula Story”

SUPERMAN

Superman is a 2025 American superhero film based on the eponymous character from DC Comics. Written and directed by James Gunn, it is the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) produced by DC Studios and the second reboot of the Superman film series. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent / Superman alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. The film follows Superman’s journey to reconcile his alien heritage with his adoptive human family.

Development on a sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Man of Steel (2013) began in October 2014, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Superman. Plans changed after the troubled production of Justice League (2017), and the Man of Steel sequel was no longer moving forward by May 2020. Gunn began work on a new Superman film around August 2022. In October, he became co-CEO of DC Studios with producer Peter Safran, and they began work on a new DC Universe. Gunn was revealed to be writing the film in December. The title Superman: Legacy was announced the next month, Gunn was confirmed to be directing in March 2023, and Corenswet and Brosnahan were cast that June. The subtitle was dropped by the end of February 2024, when filming began in Svalbard, Norway. Production primarily took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with additional location filming conducted in Georgia and Ohio. Filming wrapped in July. The film takes inspiration from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, among others.

Superman premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on July 7, 2025, and is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 11. It is the first film of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

The film follows Clark Kent / Superman‘s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his adoptive human family in Smallville, Kansas.^[4]

Stars David Corenswet (left) and Rachel Brosnahan (right) filming Superman in June 2024

• David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman:
  A survivor from the destroyed planet Krypton who lives on Earth as a superhero. He hides his identity at his day job, working as a journalist for the Daily Planet in Metropolis.^[5][6] Director James Gunn stated that Corenswet’s Superman is approximately 25 years old, making him more established than Tom Welling’s version from the CW series Smallville (2001–2011), but younger than Henry Cavill‘s version in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).^[7] Producer Peter Safran described the film’s take on the character for the DC Universe (DCU) as “the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way” and “kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old-fashioned.”^[8] Gunn said Clark is becoming successful as both a journalist and a superhero in the film, but new elements in his life leave him unbalanced. These include being “madly in love” with his colleague Lois Lane and making friends with other superheroes who think he is naive. The film illustrates how these elements influence Clark’s values and choices,[9] which are flawed and propel him on a personal journey. Corenswet differentiated the roles between Clark’s interactions with his parents, his job at the Daily Planet, and his role as Superman. He described Superman as a “public-facing character” who wants to present himself as calm yet authoritative. Corenswet drew inspiration for Clark from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, as well as the posture of Christopher Reeve’s portrayal in the 1978–1987 Superman film series. He was also inspired by Clark’s voice and demeanor, as well as his brother-in-law, whom he described as the “quietest, most wonderful man,” despite his height of 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters) and his weight of 270 pounds. He described Clark as a “big presence” who is “desperately trying to be as small as possible and as quiet as possible.”^[10] Gunn consulted DC Comics writer Tom King regarding the “suspension of disbelief” regarding other characters’ acceptance of Clark’s dual identity, which was attributed to the use of hypnotic glasses that subtly distorted his appearance. Gunn included this in the film, noting that it had “kind of been forgotten” from the comic book canon.^[11]
• Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane:
  A reporter for the Daily Planet who is a colleague of Clark ^[6][12] and “isn’t so sure about him” and needs to be convinced about being in a relationship with him.^[9][10] Brosnahan described Lois as “fiercely intelligent” and feisty.^[13] She consulted with several journalists to help her portray Lois as a modern reporter, contrasting with the character’s original comic appearances and previous screen portrayals.^[14]
• Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor:
  The CEO of LuthorCorp and the arch-nemesis of Superman,^[12][15][16] hates Superman for having the power to do everything but not aligning with Luthor’s own beliefs.^[17][18] Hoult described Luthor as obsessive, determined, and relentless and wanted the character to be perceived as a credible threat to Superman. He already has his end goal in sight and is motivated by a range of emotions, including a desire to be recognized for his scientific genius.^[18] Hoult was inspired by Michael Rosenbaum‘s Lex Luthor in Smallville and by billionaire Steve Jobs for Luthor’s uniform, choosing to work out for the role based on the depiction of Luthor in All-Star Superman.^[18][19] His son Joaquin shaved Hoult’s head in preparation for the role.^[20] Gunn drew inspiration for the character from Brian Azzarello’s limited comic book series Lex Luthor: Man of Steel (2005), as well as Jerry Siegel’s portrayal of Luthor as a “reckless scientific genius” in comic books from the 1950s and 1960s.^[21]
• Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific:
  A superhero and inventor who uses a variety of high-tech gadgets to fight crime,^[12][22] and is a member of the Justice Gang sponsored by Maxwell Lord.^[23] Gathegi described his character as an “atheist who believes in justice”, and said Holt found meaning in “knowledge” after experiencing the death of his wife.^[23]
• Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho:
  An archaeologist and superhero who can “transmute elements in his body into various forms.”^[24] He becomes a member of the Justice Gang.^{[25]: 5:17–6:04; 8:54} Carrigan said it was refreshing to play a superhero after previously portraying the Batman villain Victor Zsasz in the television series Gotham (2014–2019). He felt that he could bring some “authenticity and truth” to the role by comparing Metamorpho’s concerns about his abilities to Carrigan’s alopecia.^[26]
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern:
  ^{An abrasive galactic peacekeeper in the Green Lantern Corps [22] and a Justice Gang member [23] whom Fillion described as a fearless, overconfident jerk.[27]} Fillion drew inspiration for Gardner speaking his mind with no filter from Estelle Getty‘s Sophia Petrillo from the sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–1992). Fillion referred back to the character’s origin story, in which Gardner was hit by a bus and fell into a coma, which he believed “flipped the switch” for his personality, making him “off a little bit.”^[28] The film retains the character’s “iconic bowl cut haircut” from the comics,^[22] which Fillion insisted on having despite some discussions about changing his hairstyle.^[28]
• Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl:
  A superhero with wings and various melee weapons who is a Justice Gang member. She is reincarnated from an alien, retaining her memories and past trauma with a grumpy demeanor.^[29][22] Merced felt that the self-awareness and comedic aspects of the film helped Saunders “make light of [her] trauma.”^[29] Merced’s short height of 5 feet 1 inch (1.55 meters) differentiates her from other DCU heroes.^[22] Merced felt that her role as Anya Corazón in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Madame Web (2024) helped prepare her to play Hawkgirl, though she did not tell the Superman filmmakers about that role in case they did not want her to play both.^[30]

Additionally, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell respectively play Jonathan and Martha Kent, Clark’s adoptive human parents.^[31][32] Vince and Howell studied tapes of the parents of The Howard Stern Show personality and Charred Walls of the Damned drummer Richard Christy to develop their Kansan accents in the film.^[33] Wendell Pierce plays Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet.^[34] Pierce said that White is “always grumpy” because Luthor had an affair with White’s wife and that White’s second child may be Luthor’s; Pierce said White’s “driving force” throughout the film is wanting to “get to” Luthor in light of this.^{[25]: 16:19–16:43 Pierce asked his friends for information on the character because he hadn’t} read comic books growing up.^[35] Other staff at the Daily Planet include Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, a boyish young photographer;^[36] Beck Bennett as reporter Steve Lombard;^[37] Mikaela Hoover as columnist Cat Grant; and Christopher McDonald as reporter Ron Troupe.^[38] Sara Sampaio plays Eve Teschmacher, Luthor’s assistant and girlfriend,^[39][23], while Terence Rosemore plays Luthor’s henchman Otis.^[40]

Frank Grillo reprises his role as A.R.G.U.S. director Rick Flag Sr. from the animated DCU series Creature Commandos (2024–present);^[41][42] María Gabriela de Faría appears as Angela Spica / The Engineer, an ally of Luthor whose abilities come from nanotechnology built into her body and has “an edge,” ahead of a planned film about the Authority, the team that she is a member of in the comics;^[43][23][44] and Milly Alcock is introduced as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El / Supergirl ahead of her film, Supergirl (2026).^[45] Gunn’s brother, Sean, appears as tech billionaire and businessman Maxwell Lord, the head of LordTech, which funds the corporate-sponsored Justice Gang.^[23][29] 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).^[46]

Grace Chan and prior Gunn collaborators Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, and Gunn’s wife Jennifer Holland voice the Superman robots, who aid Superman at the Fortress of Solitude; the former three respectively voice “Twelve,” “Four”, and “Five”,^[47][48][49] while Holland is uncredited.^[50] Bradley Cooper and Angela Sarafyan voice Superman’s Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, in a sequence where the Superman robots replay a recorded message as Superman recovers.^[51] Stephen Blackehart appears as Sydney Happersen, one of Luthor’s assistants.^[52] Michael Rosenbaum also has an undisclosed voice role.^[53] Christopher Reeve’s son, ABC News correspondent Will Reeve, is set to make a cameo appearance as a news reporter.^[54] Dog actor Jolene stood in for Clark’s superpowered dog Krypto, whom Gunn described as a “not-so-good-good-boy”. The character was primarily created with visual effects ^[55][9] and was 3D modeled after Gunn’s dog Ozu.^[56]

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SOVEREIGN

Sovereign is a 2025 American action crime thriller film written and directed by Christian Swegal and starring Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Mann, Nancy Travis, Martha Plimpton, and Dennis Quaid.

Based on the events surrounding the West Memphis police shootings in 2010, the film is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025.^[2][3]

“Based on real events, the story follows a father and son (Offerman and Tremblay) who identify as Sovereign Citizens, a group of anti-government extremists, as they venture across the country and find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Dennis Quaid) that sets off an intense manhunt with tragic consequences.”

• Nick Offerman as Jerry Kane
• Jacob Tremblay as Joe Kane
• Dennis Quaid as John Bouchart
• Nancy Travis^[4] as Patty Bouchart
• Martha Plimpton as Lesley Anne
• Thomas Mann as Adam Bouchart
• Ruby Wolf as Jess Bouchart

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DON’T LET’S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT

Depicts 8-year-old Bobo’s life on her family’s Rhodesian farm during the Bush War’s final stages. It explores the family’s bond with Africa’s land and the war’s impact on the region and individuals through Bobo’s perspective.

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ABRAHAM’S BOYS: A DRACULA STORY

Abraham van Helsing moves his two sons to the United States in an attempt to escape their past.

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7/7/2025 #Superman #Sovereign #Don’tLet’sGoToTheDogsTonight #Abraham’sBoys:ADraculaStory