Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane Shines in New Superman Footage

Prepare for a whole new era at DC Studios, folks. A rebooted origin story of the most iconic superhero of all time has been hitting theaters in the form of Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, since last December, first teasing a new era for the Man of Steel in his own unique, and quieter, way, and now letting fans revel in the hype train at full steam ahead, as July’s release date for the film approaches. The first full trailer of the highly anticipated movie was dropped a few hours ago, and it is, in one word, breathtaking. An emotionally grounded reboot? Check. A new Clark Kent, feisty Lois Lane, all the DC hero and villain cameos, and one scene-stealing superdog? Check, check, check, and check.

Not Another Origin Story

Superman is a film that, somewhat unusually for a movie about The Last Son of Krypton, is not an origin story. As Gunn himself stated in a recent interview, and it’s confirmed in the trailer, the focus of the plot is the internal journey of Clark Kent, who at this point of his life, some years after the beginning of his superhero career, is still trying to find a balance between his Kryptonian royal blood and the humbler, small-town Kansas values he grew up with. This helps the film find an emotional core and anchors the story in something greater than just capes and superpowers.

Pearl and Hollywood’s David Corenswet takes the main role as Superman, playing the superhero at the age of 25. More lived-in and less fresh-faced and wide-eyed than some previous versions of the character, Corenswet has a clear duality as Clark Kent and Superman. He is the most central of the relationships shown in the trailer, both in terms of interaction with Lois Lane and by default as the character he embodies, so Corenswet will have a great weight on his shoulders as the film progresses.

Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) is the Lois Lane of this iteration. Tough-talking and uncompromising in her drive to get the best story, the trailer opens with an interesting back-and-forth between her and “Superman” – surprise, surprise – Clark Kent, as she tries to do a “fake interview” run-through. In this scene in particular, it’s clear that both Clark and Lois are playing hard-to-get with each other while throwing verbal barbs in a sibling-like way, although at the end of the day, it’s not clear if Lois has figured out the secret identity or not. Some fans will say yes. Some will say no. This writer is on the fence, but our money is on the no, particularly if we take the actors’ faces at face value. Either way, it’s a great dynamic that promises to place Lois and Clark’s relationship at the center of the film.

Nicholas Hoult is one of the marquee additions to the cast, taking the role of Lex Luthor. In the trailer, we get a small taste of Luthor’s character, with his trademark sneer, holier-than-thou, corporate-villain energy, and he’s not the only one. Sara Sampaio stars as Eve Teschmacher, and Terence Rosemore as Otis. Both will appear as Luthor’s right-hand people, one upright and obedient, the other a little more shady in his morals.

Krypto, Kaiju, and Other DC Universe Easter Eggs

If you haven’t noticed by now, one of the possible breakout stars of the film is Superman’s white dog. Krypto first caught fans’ attention when he appeared in the teaser trailer back in December, heroically dragging a near-dead Superman into the safety of the Fortress of Solitude in the film’s opening moments. The full trailer expands on this, with the dog saving the day, for lack of a better phrase, by literally going paw-to-toe with Lex Luthor and another high-tech, eponymous villain – Angela Spica/The Engineer, played by Maria Gabriela de Faria – and her nanotech-powered rotating blades when they attack the Fortress.

Superman doesn’t shy away from spectacle, either, with the trailer serving up plenty of high-flying, large-scale fights, some kaiju, and of course, the titular hero teaming up with some of DC Comics’ more unlikely superheroes. Nathan Fillion shows up as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, known for his, uh, trademark hairstyle; Anthony Carrigan plays Rex Mason/Metamorpho, a near-invincible shapeshifter who uses his powers to channel elements; Isabela Merced is the krypton-native warrior Hawkgirl; and Edi Gathegi plays the Michael Holt/Mister Terrific, a tech genius who turned to hero work in a mask and spandex of his own.

Millie Alcock plays Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, which fans hope is a sign of things to come for Krypton’s last family members, and Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell join the cast as Jonathan and Martha Kent, respectively.

Frank Grillo returns to the DC universe, reprising his role as Rick Flag Sr. from the Creature Commandos animated series, and Sean Gunn also has a cameo as Maxwell Lord.

Heart, Humanity, and What Lies Ahead

The trailer itself is jam-packed, to say the least, starting with a ton of action, from high-speed rooftop rooftop chases to fast-paced, galaxy-spanning superhero battles, and while it gives the sense of a movie that could easily become bloated if not carefully paced, what struck this writer the most about it was how it grounds Superman in humanity as much as heroics. When Lois presses Clark for why his actions couldn’t be perceived as more sensible by the likes of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Superman’s impassioned response and justification for his actions are, “People were going to die!”

But amidst all of that, there is warmth. Tinged with humor and heart, the trailer also ends with one of the most candid moments of Superman we’ve had in a while. Clark is at rest in his bed, probably his rarest moment of rest so far in the film, when Krypto, presumably proud of his work protecting his master, flops down on top of him and finds a spot on Superman’s chest, keeping his eyes on his hero. It’s a simple moment, a casual shot that sums up what Gunn wants the film to be: an epic grounded by connection. From the stacked cast to the modern approach to classic characters and the storytelling approach, Superman promises not only to reboot the character, but also, it seems, to reset the DC cinematic universe for the new era it’s so eagerly promised.

And, so far, we have every reason to be excited about it.