'Superman' cast lands in Manila to kick off world tour

MANILA, Philippines — The cast and creators of the highly anticipated film "Superman" touched down in the Philippines on Thursday, June 19, kicking off the "Superman World Tour" with a fan event that drew excited supporters to SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Writer, director and co-producer James Gunn led the delegation, joined by David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent), Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane), and Peter Safran, the film's co-producer and co-head of DC Studios.

The cast and creators of ‘Superman’ — (from left) co-producer Peter Safran, director James Gunn, David Corenswet (Superman/Clark Kent), and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) — at the SM Mall of Asia fan event on Thursday, June 19. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

‘Superman’ lead David Corenswet signs posters for lucky fans. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

Rachel Brosnahan, who plays Lois Lane in the new Superman movie, interacts with fans. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

Writer, director and co-producer James Gunn expresses surprise at Filipinos’ warm welcome. PHOTO BY RIO DELUVIO

The fan event, held at the mall's Music Hall, gave attendees a preview of what's to come in the new Superman film, which will hit theaters and IMAX on July 9.

Fans were treated to a poster signing as the Superman team walked the red carpet, fireworks and short Q&A session during the event.

The stars expressed gratitude for the warm reception.

"I did not expect [the warm reception] but I know the Filipino fans are the best," said Gunn.

Safran added, "They have been incredible all day. We are so impressed and grateful for the fandom of DC and Superman here in the Philippines. We love love it and we love you and that's the reason why we chose Manila as the first stop of our world tour."

Earlier in the day, the team also visited Bridgetowne Open Grounds in Pasig City and posed in front of The Victor statue. They were all welcomed with cheers by Filipino fans wearing Superman outfits eager to catch a glimpse of the new faces of the DC Universe.

The Manila stop runs through Friday, June 20, with additional press and public appearances scheduled before the cast continues their global promotional tour.

Following Manila, the team will make stops in Rio de Janeiro (June 23), London (July 2), Paris (July 4), Los Angeles (July 7), New York (July 9), and Beijing (July 10).

Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios, "Superman" is the first feature film in DC's newly reimagined cinematic universe.

The movie also stars Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, with a supporting cast that includes Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, and others.

Superman is based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and features a screenplay by Gunn himself. It is executive produced by Nikolas Korda, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars Winther.