David Corenswet says he gained ‘as much weight’ as he could for James Gunn’s Superman

David Corenswet, the new Superman in the rebooted DC Universe, recently opened up about the intense physical transformation he underwent to play the iconic superhero.

The 30-year-old actor, who is taking over the role from Henry Cavill, has shared details of his rigorous training and substantial weight gain on the Manly Things (Sort Of) podcast.

While the actor couldn’t share too many specifics about his role as the Man of Steel in the upcoming Superman: Legacy, he gave fans an inside look at the hard work that went into becoming the superhero.

Corenswet explained, “I wasn’t 238 [pounds] when we started shooting.”

“I was 238 at my max. I didn’t fit into any of my pants.”

He also shared that it was tough to maintain that weight during production and admitted that his initial transformation “didn’t feel great” because adjusting to the added bulk was challenging.

During a table read for Superman, he realized he had bulked up so much that he was wearing a 2XL Champion sweatshirt.

He added, “That was at the peak of my bulk.”

“And then I slowly lost weight before we started shooting. I started shooting at about 228, 230…I know I wanted this to be my excuse to see what it felt like to gain essentially as much weight as I could.”

Corenswet’s casting as Superman marks a major moment in the development of DC Studios’ reimagined cinematic universe, now led by James Gunn and Peter Safran. 

Superman: Legacy, set for a July 2025 release, will serve as the official launchpad for the new DCU era.

According to the official description, Superman “tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas.”

“He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”

James Gunn’s Superman also features Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.