The removal of Henry Cavill’s Superman from the DC Universe might go down in History as one of the biggest heartbreaks in the entertainment industry. Since the ordeal happened under James Gunn and Peter Safran’s leadership, the two were obviously blamed for betraying the audience who so dearly wanted to see Henry Cavill back in action.
James Gunn had stated that the new slate for the DCU’s first chapter will soon be announced and that it wouldn’t have any place for Henry Cavill’s Superman. Well, now that the slate has finally been made public and the newest Superman project revealed, James Gunn is finally addressing the departure. According to the filmmaker, not only was Henry Cavill never officially brought back as Superman but he was also messed around with by many people.
Almost as if it has a bittersweet memory of the distant past, Henry Cavill’s cameo in Black Adam brought reignited the flames of hope in the hearts of many Cavill fans. However, the flames were pretty soon extinguished as he was suddenly seen hanging up his cape.
During the reveal of DCU’s first chapter, James Gunn took a moment to address Cavill’s departure from the superhero universe. He stated that the actor was never fired from the role of Superman because he wasn’t ever officially cast as the character. It looks like Cavill’s return was nothing but a short, rushed cameo as the actor had signed no contract which could have confirmed his reprisal in the DCU.
Next, Gunn talked about how he has no bad blood with the Enola Holmes actor and that he was “getting di*ked around by a lot of people.” While he clearly mentioned the former regime was one of those responsible for the deed, we cannot help but wonder if he was also pointing a finger at Dwayne Johnson. Johnson has and still is facing a lot of criticism for the way he handled Cavill’s cameo and blame him for bringing the actor back only for the sake of his movie.
“I like Henry, I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s getting dicked around by a lot of people, including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons.”
Like Gunn stated, the new Superman isn’t Cavill for a lot of reasons, one factor being the age of the superhero. The co-heads talked about the new Superman project titled, Superman: Legacy. The movie is said to mark the beginning of the new DCU. Peter Safran stated,
“It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way. He is kindness in a world that thinks that kindness is old-fashioned.”
The film will be written and might be directed by Gunn himself although the two didn’t touch that subject during the unveiling. Only time will tell what the other reasons for Cavill not being this Superman are. We just hope the fans find them valid and Gunn can finally redeem himself after months and months of criticism!
While Gunn and Safran are all about respecting the point of view of the filmmakers they will be working with, they will not hesitate to be straightforward with them. Gunn stated that the new era of the DCU is not the “Gunnverse” and there will be different stories from different filmmakers which will make the whole thing more exciting.
However, if some things do not end up working out the way they had quite hoped, then Gunn and Safran will be pretty honest with the filmmakers, even if it doesn’t make them happy.
It’s not the Gunnverse, it’s not. It’s got to be all these different feels from all these different stories. That’s what makes it so fun. The stories are completely different, and each has the individual expression of the writers and the director that are making those projects….We’re not stupid. Not every filmmaker is going to be happy. Because if someone is doing something that isn’t working, we’re going to be honest.”
So as the DCU heads towards the new era under Gunn and Safran, it looks like the two are not going to take things lightly back at the Studios. Who knows, maybe their blunt approach can put the DCU back on track.
Superman: Legacy has been given a release date of July 11, 2025.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
