Eagles fan David Corenswet is playing a Giants star in upcoming ‘Mr. Irrelevant’
The story of the film and John Tuggle is much bigger than football fandom, said the 'Superman' actor, and has its own little Philadelphia connection.
Superman star David Corenswet grew up in Philadelphia loving the Eagles, but that didn’t stop him from saying yes to donning a Giants jersey for the upcoming biopic, Mr. Irrelevant.
The 33-year-old actor — who got his start on local stages as a kid — became a breakout movie star last year when he played Superman in James Gunn’s revamp of the legendary superhero films. While the sequel, Man of Tomorrow, releases in summer 2027, Corenswet’s next project is based on a true story that follows underdog football player John Tuggle.
Mr. Irrelevant, named because Tuggle was the last pick of 1983 NFL draft, was written by Reacher creator/producer Nick Santora and will be out in theaters Dec. 25. In a promotional video that dropped on Wednesday, Corenswet admitted that he initially had doubts about the role because of his Eagles allegiance, but he soon realized the story was bigger than football fandom — and Tuggle had a connection to Philadelphia of his own, too.
“As a kid from Philadelphia, I thought it would be a hard sell to get me to wear a Giants jersey on the big screen,” said Corenswet. “When I learned that John Tuggle scored his only professional touchdown against Philadelphia in Philadelphia, I thought, ‘This would really be a terrible betrayal,’ you know? What would Bradley Cooper think of me?”
Cooper, of course, is another diehard celebrity Eagles fan who introduced the Birds at their victorious Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in 2025. The Silver Linings Playbook actor and Maestro director also wound up making a cameo in Superman as Corenswet’s extraterrestrial father, Jor-El.
“But when I saw the footage of that play, when I saw John dive into that kelly green end zone, the fans cheered,” Corenswet continued. “The same fans that booed Santa Claus cheered for a New York Giant scoring six on their turf. Why? Because for that moment, John Tuggle wasn’t a New York Giant, he was Mr. Irrelevant. He was the guy who was never supposed to make it.”
Tuggle was a rookie from California who played just one season with the Giants as a running back before he was diagnosed with cancer. After two years of extensive treatment, he died at age 25 in 1986. His story was explored in the 2018 ESPN 30 for 30 short film, The Irrelevant Giant.
‘Mr. Irrelevant’ will be released in theaters on Dec. 25.
