In the last few decades, superhero films have proven that they can make the careers of those lucky enough to be cast in them. After the success of the MCU, acclaimed actors like Anthony Hopkins and Cate Blanchett have proven that this genre is no longer one to scoff at. In the same vein, hugely successful actors like Robert Downey Jr. and Henry Cavill have shown how a major role in a superhero franchise can become a career-defining move these days and forever cement an actor's future success.
When it was announced that the new head of the DCU, James Gunn, would be recasting the main roles for the upcoming Superman: Legacyfilm, the lead roles unsurprisingly became some of the most sought after parts in Hollywood right now. With the recent confirmation that Superman would be played by David Corenswet and Lois Lane by Rachel Brosnahan, there's already been speculation about whether the pair are to for the task. Regarding Brosnahan's casting, we certainly know enough about her already to be optimistic. Only time will tell for sure, however, for now, here are ten reasons why we feel Rachel Brosnahan will make a great Lois Lane for the restarted DCU.
10 Her Versatility
Despite not being that well known yet, Rachel Brosnahan has already wracked up some great experience as an actress. She may still be relatively young but has already appeared in a wide array of movies. These include her debut in the horror film The Unborn, as well as other roles in dramas, thrillers, a voice role in an animation film, a western, the fantasy film Beautiful Creatures, comedies, spy films, and even a great neo-noir crime film called I'm Your Woman.
Her filmography to date already harks at a performer with a diverse range of skills and the ability to be good across multiple genres. That versatility can only be a good omen since playing the love interest of one of the most popular superheroes in the world isn't a typical role and requires a lot more nuance to do well than people may imagine.
9 Her Background
Rachel Brosnahan has a background that includes performing musical theater in high school and later studying through the prestigious NYU Tisch School of Arts. Far from an actress that just got lucky and fell into the industry, like many of the best performers out there, she trained for this and has put in the effort to be successful at her craft.
Her first major role came back when she was still nineteen. She showed great poise even from that young age as she appeared in The Unborn. The film was produced by Michael Bay, so it also shows that she's capable of not being overwhelmed by the occasion, since Bay was already a long-established superstar filmmaker by that point.
8 Her Theater Experience
While screen acting is usually the pinnacle for actors to find the kind of fame and success most crave in the industry, those who come with a background in theater often already have the respect of their peers for that fact. Theater acting can be a lot more intense and require far more discipline since there aren't any do-overs in a live show and requires immense stage presence.
Rachel Brosnahan comes with an impressive background in theater performing since she made her Broadway debut in The Big Knife at The Roundabout Theater Company and later played Desdemona in a rendition of Shakespeare's Othello alongside David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig.
7 Made for the Big Occasion
While she was still in college, Brosnahan was already making appearances in massive TV shows like Gossip Girl, The Good Wife, and Grey's Anatomy. Even at such a young age, she held her own while in these major shows that could easily have overawed performers with less poise.
The role of Lois Lane is one that is steeped in enough history and heritage as it is. The fact that the role heralds the start of the new DCU only adds to the magnitude of the film. Luckily, Brosnahan has already shown that she can cut it in any environment and has shown more than enough mettle as an actress so far to handle the depth required for the role.
6 TV Appearances
Many stars struggle to gain a foothold in their early years, often needing to settle for minor parts in arb shows that never see the light of day just to gain experience and survive. However, Rachel Brosnahan's talent seems to have been noticed early on and the parts she's gained as a result have matched it.
Aside from the impressive shows mentioned, she's also been on shows like The Blacklist, House of Cards, and Orange Is the New Black,all of which have been massive at one time or another. They weren't always small parts either. In House of Cards, she played Rachel Posner, an escort whose clientele included the White House Chief of Staff in the show. Brosnahan made numerous appearances in the show between season one and season three and was excellent in it.
5 Not Easily Intimidated
Lois Lane is a character that has become as iconic as the Man of Steel himself over the long and illustrious history of Superman comics. While a character like her may not be the same thing as acting in a biopic of a famous person, make no mistake, messing up the role can be just as calamitous. Comic book fans are known for how passionate they can be about even the minutest detail when it comes to their beloved characters.
As George Clooney will tell you, mess up the role of a legendary character and the fans will never let you live it down. While this can be an intimidating thought, Rachel Brosnahan has already shown that she isn't easily scared away. We know this since she's already acted with the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Spacey, Oscar Isaac, Willem Defoe, and Christoph Waltz, and been in the Amazon series Crises in Six Scenes, which was written and directed by Woody Allen.
4 Her Acting Caliber
She may not have been a household name for a large part of her career, but Rachel Brosnahan is certainly an actress who has earned that right. In the last six years, she's had a breakout role in the Prime Video comedy show, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel where she played a Jewish woman who tries her hand at being a stand-up comedian when her marriage fails.
Her role in the show was played to perfection, earning her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, in addition to two Golden Globes, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, among other honors. The show recently came to a perfect end, and the timing couldn't be better since Brosnahan now stands at the cusp of what will surely be her biggest role to date.
3 She Looks the Part
Being the love interest of one of the most famous, powerful, and desirable men in the world is quite the honor. It's no surprise then that Lois Lane has always been depicted as an extraordinary woman. Not only is she a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with a feistiness to match her fearlessness, she's always been portrayed as stunningly beautiful. No problem there then since Rachel Brosnahan is pretty stunning herself.
Nothing irks comic fans more than when their characters end up being played by actors who don't resemble them in some way. Luckily, with Lois classically being depicted as beautiful and slender with long, dark hair, and striking eyes, you can't really fault the fact that, physically, Brosnahan's a perfect fit for the character. While some fans may have taken issue with her natural blonde hair, according to POPSUGAR, there's no problem there either.
"Though it looks like her natural hair color, the actress told POPSUGAR that she wasn't actually born a brunette. "I'm naturally blond," Brosnahan said. "I started dyeing my hair really dark when I was 16, and then I waited almost 10 years before I went back to blond." Brosnahan went back and forth between brown and blond throughout the years — and even had red hair in 2015 — but admits that she has a color preference: "Even though I'm a natural blonde — and normally I'm a huge advocate for being exactly who you are — but I really feel more myself with dark hair," she said."
2 They Look the Part
While we haven't seen them on-screen together as yet, it's safe to say that Brosnahan and David Corenswet, who will be playing Superman, are going to look great together. After all, we've already established that she can easily pull off the look fans expect of Lois Lane. All we need now is for him to do his part in that department too. Luckily, we also know that whatever else David Corenswet may bring to the role of the famous Kryptonian, he does look his part too.
Long before Corenswet was confirmed for the role, fans were already imagining him as Superman in fan art, and the actor was also already being compared to his now predecessor, with many noticing that he seemed to look a lot like a younger Henry Cavill. It seems for now that fans can rest assured of one thing for the pair, they both will definitely look like classical versions of Superman and Lois Lane together. Now all we need is for them to have great chemistry too.
1 Her Age
Superman: Legacy will be the start of the new DCU and expects to create the kind of longevity that DC fans have been craving. The recent splintering and reboots of Batman films, the disasters that the Suicide Squad films have been, and the other examples of DC's incoherence have all made the DCU an epic fail so far. James Gunn appears to be steadying the ship and if Superman: Legacy lives up to the hype and saves the entire franchise, one expects that there will be recurring roles for the main characters for years to come.
With that in mind, Gunn's casting of Brosnahan and Corenswet seems to make good sense. After all, both are still pretty young, with Brosnahan turning 33 and Corenswet turning 30 next month. Their ages make them perfect to build a legacy and hopefully stick with the characters across multiple films in the future. The DCU could certainly use some continuity. All they need to do now is deliver on the quality and on the face of it, Rachel Brosnahan's casting as Lois Lane appears to be a step in the right direction on that front.