After reuniting with his Clark Kent and Lois Lane, James Gunn furiously moves to populate his Metropolis with a host of other DC heroes to Superman: Legacy.
Anthony Carrigan, freshly nominated for the Emmy Awards for his outstanding work in HBO barry, was cast as classic DC character Metamorpho, aka archaeologist-turned-hero Rex Mason. It joins the feature film that will officially launch the new DC Universe under the direction of filmmaker Gunn and his DC Studios co-boss, Peter Safran.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Also on the call sheet are Isabela Merced, playing Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific; and Gunn mainstay Nathan Fillion as macho Green Lantern Guy Gardner. These castings were announced on Tuesday.
The deals are made in the shadow of an impending strike by the actors. A SAG-AFTRA strike could begin as early as midnight PT on July 12, and if that were to happen, all bargaining between reps and studios would come to a halt like a fastball hitting the Man of Steel’s chest.
Gunn made some of his picks a while ago, but was waiting to pull the trigger for offers or reveals until he found his Kent and Lane. Screen testing for these roles took place only a few weeks ago, with David Corenswet (pearl) and Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) announced as taking the lead on June 27.
Talk with The Hollywood Reporter after his Emmy nomination, Carrigan, who suffers from alopecia, explained that he had Metamorpho on his radar before landing the role. “I love comics, but I’m not a die-hard fan, but I did when all my hair fell out, I went through the kind of pantheon of all these bald superheroes and supervillains and I wrote them all down,” Carrigan said. “I remember seeing Metamorpho and I think he had like a giant like a hammer for one hand and I was like, this guy’s badass. Indicated. We’ll put that one away.
Carrigan said playing the character was meaningful as a member of the alopecia community. “This character from what I learned from the source material, he didn’t like the way he looked, and I can really relate to that,” the actor added. “You know, when he got his powers he thought it was a curse. It’s something that I really felt too. In my case, I turned it around and saw it as a blessing. So I’m excited to bring that to the table with this character.
Legacy has a release date of July 11, 2025, and Gunn still expects to shoot early next year. The filmmaker directs and writes the screenplay, which features a world already filled with a host of super-powered heroes by the time Superman arrives.
Metamorpho, created by Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon in 1965, can transmute elements of his body into various forms, taking these properties as powers. After initially being an archaeologist, his abilities set him on the path to heroism. He later became a detective and a founding member of the supergroup known as the Outsiders. The character’s wonky appearance and abilities seem to reflect Gunn’s well-established love of off-center characters, whom he finds unique ways to highlight and who become scene-stealers or emotional cores.
Carrigan played fan-favorite NoHo Hank for the entire series of barry, HBO’s beloved dark comedy that racked up more than 50 Emmy nominations for its four seasons, the last of which ended in May. Carrigan earned three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series during that time, as well as four SAG Award nominations.
In the cinematic space, the actor appeared alongside Kevin Hart in the 2021 comedy drama Paternity and with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the 2020s Bill and Ted face the music. He will next be seen in Winter’s murder mystery film The adults alongside Evan Rachel Wood and Josh Gad.
Carrigan is replaced by CAA, Schlegel Entertainment and Goodman Genow.
—Esther Zuckerman contributed to this story.
The best of The Hollywood Reporter
Click here to read the full article.