TRUTH, JUSTICE ESSENTIAL FOR POSITION

DAVID CORENSWET WANTS TO BE A SUPERMAN YOU CAN COUNT ON

- STORY: KYLE BUCHANAN / NYT

Even before he became the linchpin of a new superhero universe, David Corenswet took great pride in being reliable.

"I don't know whether I'm a good actor in the sense that I see people onscreen and think, that's a good actor," he said. But what he does know, and what he aspires to, is that people can count on him. It's a reputation Corenswet has cultivated since he was a child actor, when he once delivered his lines so efficiently during a commercial shoot that the crew got to go home early.

"I want people to feel that every day that my name is on the call sheet is going to be a better day — a little bit of an easier day, and maybe a more fulfilling day," he said.

Now, Corenswet's reliability will be put to its ultimate test. The 32-year-old is playing the iconic title character in James Gunn's Superman reboot, which arrived in cinemas burdened by big expectations. It's the first feature from the newly rebranded DC Studios, which previously managed some successes (Wonder Woman, Man Of Steel) and a passel of bruising bombs (Justice League, The Flash, Shazam: Fury Of The Gods) in its efforts to keep pace with Marvel's highly lucrative cinematic universe.

These days, though, even Marvel is facing headwinds: In a market saturated with comic-book content, audiences don't always show up for cape-and-tights spectaculars the way they used to. Warner Bros is betting that Gunn, who was hired to co-lead DC Studios after directing Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy, can restore the luster to its superhero shingle. But the future of the DC slate, including next year's Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, hinges largely on just how high Superman can soar.