(Cleveland Jewish News) — Almost 86 years after being created in Cleveland, Superman will return home for the filming of “SUPERMAN,” which is expected to start this month with last day of production being Aug. 23.
The creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, lived in Cleveland and graduated from Glenville High School when the iconic superhero Superman was created. The two created Superman, and reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane.
Siegel was born in Cleveland after his parents, Jewish immigrants, fled Lithuania, according to the Jewish-American Hall of Fame Literature and Art Honorees website. Shuster was born in Toronto, before coming to Cleveland, but his parents were from Rotterdam and Kiev.
The film, which is under the alias “Genesis,” filed an Ohio Motion Picture Tax Application for Cleveland and Cincinnati and were allowed to start preproduction on Feb. 5, according to the application.
The film is being produced by S&K Pictures, Inc. and is directed by James Gunn, the application stated. According to the application, 25% of the total production will be filmed in Ohio between Cleveland and Cincinnati, although specific addresses are not listed.
Although there are no specifics listed, the public usually gets a week to a couple weeks notice in advance of filming if scenes involve major traffic closures, Bill Garvey, president of Greater Cleveland Film Commission, wrote in an email to the Cleveland Jewish News.
The film was first drafted as “Superman: Legacy,” but Gunn said via a social media post on Feb. 29 that by the time he “locked in the final draft, it was clear the title was ‘SUPERMAN.’”
Due to signing a non-disclosure agreement, Garvey was unable to talk about specifics of the filming and production process but could talk about generalities.
The productions that end up filming in Cleveland don’t just “happen,” but are due to the relationship the Greater Cleveland Film Commission develops and maintains, Garvey said. They keep relationships with producers and studios to pitch Northeast Ohio as a filming destination, a place to bring business spending, a place to hire hundreds of locals and a place to source hundreds of local vendors per project, Garvey said. For this specific project, over 3,200 Ohio residents were hired, according to the application.
Big budget tent-pole movies, or promising projects, are not filmed in one jurisdiction, Garvey said. For example, only 17 days were filmed in Cleveland for “Fast 8,” the other parts were filmed in Cuba, Atlanta and Iceland, he said. Same as when “Captain America: Winter Solider” was filmed in Cleveland. That was only for 28 days, but shots were also filmed in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, he said.
It differs how films spend time in different locations, Garvey said. Sometimes production spends weeks in one filming location and other times production moves every day to a different location, he said. It was not stated how “SUPERMAN” will be filmed and how the time will be split between Cleveland and Cincinnati.
According to the application, there will be 201 total production days which includes 133 of prep, 37 of shoot and 31 of wrap.
Superman and Clark Kent will be portrayed by David Corenswet. According to The Times of Israel, Corenswet’s family has long ties to Temple Sinai in New Orleans, he was married by a rabbi and his father, John Corenswet, was Jewish. Lois Lane will be portrayed by Rachel Brosnahan, who is not Jewish, but portrayed the Jewish Midge Maisel in the Amazon show, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
The movie is scheduled to be released in theaters summer of 2025.
