Superman director James Gunn shares first look at popular comic book character

Superman director James Gunn has shared a surprise first-look at Skyler Gisondo in action as the classic DC character Jimmy Olsen.

Gisondo, best known for roles in Licorice Pizza, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Santa Clarita Diet, will play Superman’s friend Olsen in the forthcoming movie, Superman, which will be released in 2025.

To celebrate 83 years since the comic book character was introduced into the DC universe, Gunn shared a message on social media to mark the occasion.

“Happy Anniversary to Superman’s pal, Jimmy Olsen, who debuted on this day in 1941 (although he did appear earlier as “office boy” in Action Comics 6),” Gunn wrote, before teasing the forthcoming film. “I can’t wait for you to see @SkylerGisondo’s portrayal in #Superman on July 11, 2025.”

In the picture, Gisondo wears a brown polo shirt with a matching jacket as he raises his fist in the air, smiling at the camera.

Fans immediately praised the casting as “perfect”, with one commenter writing on Instagram: “Ahhh Skyler looks so good as Jimmy.”

Another gushed: “Jimmy is one of the most loveable DC characters and frankly he’s the heart and soul of Superman’s world, representing everything that Superman believes in & Skyler already looks perfect.”

“As usual, your casting choice is impeccable,” said another fan.

Olsen is a young photojournalist who works alongside Clark Kent AKA Superman, and their friendship grows the more they work together.

Guardians of the Galaxy director Gunn has been building excitement around the film by sharing stills of different characters in action. In May, he shared a glimpse into David Corenswet in character as the Man of Steel, dressed in a dirty Superman suit, pulling on his red boots.

Fans rejoiced at the return of the classic Superman costume, which features the iconic red underpants. The character was trunkless for the majority of the 2010s following a 2011 costume redesign, leaving Superman with a red ornamental Superman belt instead of underpants.

Rachel Brosnahan will star as Superman’s love interest, Lois Lane. Brosnahan is best known for her lead role in the popular Amazon Prime Video period comedy series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

Initially, Gunn announced that his rebooted DC universe would begin with a Superman movie titled Superman: Legacy. In February, that title was shortened to simply Superman.

The cast includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer.

Supporting actors include Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent, Neva Howell as Ma Kent, Christopher MacDonald as Ron Troupe, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

House of the Dragon star Milly Alcock is expected to make a cameo appearance as Supergirl before taking flight in her own movie, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is set to be released in 2026.

Superman will arrive in cinemas on 11 July 2025.

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