CLEVELAND — Downtown Cleveland has transformed into a movie set as Northeast Ohio plays host to a major motion picture currently in production -- which many believe is the new Superman film directed by James Gunn that’s set for release on July 11, 2025.
While city officials have not officially confirmed if this movie is actually Superman, we do know that a project titled “Genesis” -- labeled as a Warner Brothers feature film on the Greater Cleveland Film Commission’s site -- has shoot dates set for the Cleveland area from June 17 through July 16, according to the Angela Boehm Casting agency.
SKY-HIGH ACTION
On the morning of Wednesday, June 26, 3News photographer Craig Roberson captured these images of the production in Cleveland...
ACTION IN FRONT OF CITY HALL
Our news partners at Cleveland.com captured these photos from the set on June 25:
SUPERMAN ACTOR SPOTTED IN CLEVELAND
The "Man of Steel" himself was spotted in downtown Cleveland on the morning of Monday, June 24. Our news partners at Cleveland.com shared the following photos of actor David Corenswet in the city:
SIGNS OF SUPERMAN IN CLEVELAND
Back on June 19, 3News digital content producer Anna Meyer snapped multiple photos in Cleveland on Wednesday morning -- one of which shows the Leader Building in the 500 block of Superior Ave. with a sign above the entrance declaring: THE DAILY PLANET.
Fun fact: The Leader Building, which opened in 1913, was actually built to be the home for two newspapers: The Cleveland Leader and The Cleveland News. While The Cleveland Leader ceased operations in 1917, the Leader Building continued to produce editions of The Cleveland News until 1926.
Other images we captured also show street banners and signs referring to Metropolis (see the photos in our gallery below).
The Greater Cleveland Partnership, meanwhile, directly identified the project as Superman in a Tuesday post on X calling Cleveland "the new Metropolis" with photos from downtown:
CLEVELAND ROAD CLOSURES
Calling it an “undisclosed feature film production” in a press release Tuesday afternoon, the city of Cleveland outlined a list of downtown road closures connected to the movie.
“The road closures will be in effect to ensure the safety of both the film crew and the public,” according to the city’s press release. “Detour signs will be posted to safely guide drivers to alternate routes. Some closures will be extended closures (more than a few hours or longer) and other closures may be intermittent.”
The closures include…
THURSDAY, JUNE 20
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Superior Avenue from East 6th Street to East Roadway Avenue
- In/Out Access to and from 200 Public Square Garage will be accommodated from East Roadway daily
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of East 3rd Street from Rockwell Avenue to Superior Avenue
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Superior Avenue from East 6th Street to East Roadway Avenue
- In/Out Access to and from 200 Public Square Garage will be accommodated from East Roadway daily
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of East 3rd Street from Rockwell Avenue to Superior Avenue
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Superior Ave from East 6th Street to East Roadway Avenue
- In/Out Access to and from 200 Public Square Garage will be accommodated from East Roadway daily
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of East 3rd Street from Rockwell Avenue to Superior Avenue
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Lakeside Avenue from East 9th Street to East Mall Drive.
- City Hall’s surface parking lot and Lakeside access to Willard Garage will be closed. The only access to Willard Garage will be from East 9th Street.
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Superior Avenue from East 6th Street to East Roadway Avenue
- In/Out Access to and from 200 Public Square Garage will be accommodated from East Roadway daily
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of East 3rd Street from Rockwell Avenue to Superior Avenue
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of East 6th Street between Lakeside Avenue and 1301 East 6th Street (parking garage accessible)
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of West Mall Drive between Lakeside Avenue and St. Clair Avenue
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (South Roadway)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of South Roadway between Ontario and Euclid Avenue
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (S Roadway)
THURSDAY, JUNE 27
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Ontario Street between West St Clair Avenue and Rockwell Avenue
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (South Roadway)
FRIDAY, JUNE 28
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Chester Avenue between East 13th Street and East 17th Street
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (South Roadway)
SATURDAY, JUNE 29 AND SUNDAY, JUNE 30
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (South Roadway)
MONDAY, JULY 1 AND TUESDAY, JULY 2
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of 1st Street between Prospect and Public Square (South Roadway)
FULL CLOSURE of Public Square (East Roadway, West Roadway, South Roadway, Rockwell Avenue)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 THROUGH FRIDAY, JULY 5
FULL CLOSURE of Public Square (East Roadway, West Roadway, South Roadway, Rockwell Avenue)
SATURDAY, JULY 6
FULL ROAD CLOSURE of Detroit-Superior Bridge between West Huron Street and W 25th Street
“Signage will provide additional information during the closures,” according to the city’s press release. “Local traffic to/from residential buildings and businesses will be maintained but there may be delays. Expect additional traffic notices as filming continues and please note that these dates may change based on weather.”
MENTOR HEADLANDS BEACH CLOSURE
Over in Lake County, Mentor Headlands Beach State Park has been "fully closed" for a movie production. Again, officials would not confirm what this movie is, but our cameras captured this aerial footage earlier this month as crews were setting up prior to the park's closure:
The closure dates for Mentor Headlands Beach were listed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources as follows...
- Monday, June 17
- Tuesday, June 18
- Thursday, June 20
- Friday, June 21
WHAT THE GREATER CLEVELAND FILM COMMISSION HAS SAID
3News previously asked the Greater Cleveland Film Commission to address the reports that Superman would be filming in Cleveland, but the organization's president, Bill Garvey, said he couldn't disclose specifics surrounding the "Genesis" project.
Last year, meanwhile, Garvey also told 3News that "major movies" would be bringing their productions to Cleveland.
“People are going to be happy,” he said back on Nov. 9. “Some iconic, major movies are coming.”
Here's a clip of what Garvey said late last year...
'SUPERMAN' 2025 CAST
While few details have been released about the plot of the new Superman movie, IMDB offers this brief description:
Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way in a world that views this as old-fashioned.
The cast includes the following:
- David Corenswet: Clark Kent / Superman
- Nicholas Hoult: Lex Luthor
- Rachel Brosnahan: Lois Lane
- Milly Alcock: Kara Zor-El / Supergirl
- Nathan Fillion: Guy Gardner / Green Lantern
- Isabela Merced: Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl
- Anthony Carrigan: Rex Mason / Metamorpho
- Sean Gunn: Maxwell Lord
- Edi Gathegi: Mister Terrific
- Mikaela Hoover: Cat Grant
CLICK HERE to see the full cast list.
SUPERHEROES IN THE CITY
You probably remember that Cleveland also hosted two major superhero movies in recent years as Marvel came to town for The Avengers (2012) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
The following clip from August 2011 features behind-the-scenes footage captured by 3News as an explosive scene from The Avengers rocked East 9th Street:
Below are multiple images captured of these previous productions by 3News' Executive Digital Producer Ryan Haidet:
