Superman director James Gunn confirms that David Corenswet did audition for the role of Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

David Corenswet is our new Man of Steel, but before landing the leading role in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, he had auditioned for the role of Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, at least, that was the rumour.

Responding to a fan on Threads, Gunn confirmed that Corenset did indeed audition for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, but admitted that he doesn’t actually recall it. “I asked him about it and he said he did so I believe him, but I don’t remember it,” Gunn said. The fan also asked if Superman’s flying scenes in the new movie might be similar to Adam Warlock’s flying scenes from Guardians 3. “No, what we’re doing now for flying is much more complex than what was done for [Adam Warlock],” Gunn responded.

Although Gunn hasn’t been shy about reusing actors, things might have been very different had David Corenswet won the role of Adam Warlock. Will Poulter wound up playing the role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and did a fantastic job.

Superman stars David Corenswet (Pearl) as Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Ms. Maisel) as Lois Lane. The cast also includes Nathan Fillion (The Rookie) as Guy Gardner, a charismatic and slightly obnoxious member of the Green Lantern Corps; Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) as Mister Terrific; Anthony Carrigan (Barry) as Metamorpho; María Gabriela de Faría (Deadly Class) as The Engineer, a member of The Authority; Sara Sampaio (At Midnight) as Eve Teschmacher; Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) as Jimmy Olsen; Wendell Pierce as Perry White; Neva Howell as Martha Kent; Pruitt Taylor-Vince as Jonathan Kent; and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.

DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran has previously teased that Superman will not be an origin story and will focus on “Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.” Superman is slated to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.