News on Superman: Legacy has been gradually coming out in recent weeks as it seems like WB is close to finding its new Superman and Lois Lane. As the first movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s interconnected universe, Legacy will end up setting the path for the next decade’s worth of movies, and in more ways than one.
Per a Friday report from the Hollywood Reporter, the upcoming flick will also feature some members of the comic book team The Authority in some capacity. The apparent plan is to cast those roles (and that of Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor) after actors have been locked down for Lois and Clark. Screen tests for those two roles are said to take place during Father’s Day weekend, so we’ve got some time before we’ll be hearing about who may or may not be in the running to play those Authority characters. Considering that team is set to have its own movie that’ll be co-written by Gunn, and will be the second movie of this whole shebang, that kind of seeding makes sense.
The Authority hails from DC’s Wildstorm imprint, and were introduced in with the titular 1999 comic from Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch, which semi-spun out of characters made during Ellis and Tom Raney’s Stormwatch run from 1993-1997. Back then, they were billed as a black ops superhero team who “gets things done no matter what,” meaning they would kill their enemies if needed (or wanted). While the characters lived in a world separate from the primary DC Universe, the team was brought into the fold with the New 52. More recently, Grant Morrison and Mikel Janín’s Superman & the Authority miniseries saw the Man of Steel build out his own version of the team.
There’s been around 20 members of the Authority over the years, so Gunn has plenty of characters to choose from for Superman: Legacy. We’ll know more about which Authority members will show up ahead of the film’s release on July 11, 2025.
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