Corenswet leads the new reboot of ‘Superman,’ in theaters July 11

David Corenswet has some big — you might even say super — shoes to fill.

Taking on the title role in DC Comics and Warner Bros.’ new Superman meant inheriting a legacy from past icons who have taken on the role, as Corenswet, 31, indicated to PEOPLE at the reboot’s London premiere on Wednesday, July 2. Luckily, the actor had stamps of approval to encourage him. 

“I was lucky enough to exchange letters with Tyler Hoechlin and Henry Cavill, two fellows who have played Superman before me,” says Corenswet on the red carpet before posing for photos with costars Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, writer-director James Gunn and more. 

What advice did he get from Hoechlin, who starred as the Man of Steel in The CW drama Superman & Lois for four seasons, and Cavill, who played the role in five major movies?

“They both, in their way, sort of refrained from giving advice,” Corenswet reveals to PEOPLE. 

“There's not much advice that we can give, you know? You sort of have to do your own thing,” he adds. “But it was really wonderful to get words of encouragement from them and then to be able to write to them and talk about how appreciative I was of the way that they had stewarded the character in their time.”

Hearing from two actors who had worn the cape before, concludes Corenswet, “was a special experience.”

Will Reeve — son of the late Christopher Reeve, who made Superman a big-screen icon with four films starting in 1978 — had also provided Corenswet some much-welcomed encouragement. 

“It would be odd to say that he gave us his stamp of approval because he would be the first to say that that's not his place to approve or disapprove,” the Politician star previously told PEOPLE of Will, who makes a special cameo in the new Superman. “But when you have somebody like him on set who's excited at what they're seeing and who is excited for you, that's a very encouraging sign and means a lot,” he says.

Superman, also costarring Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced, is in theaters July 11.