Acclaimed director James Gunn has received his well-deserved limelight as one of the most iconic Marvel directors. However, he has also been under public scrutiny recently due to some resurfaced derogatory tweets. Now, as the co-CEO of DC, he is again facing a bit of backlash because of some choices about DC’s future that fans do not particularly agree with.
James Gunn, DC director
The most famous one is obviously his decision to sack Henry Cavill as Superman right after his takeover. Although he did mention that he did not exactly fire Cavill but that his contract was never renewed after his takeover, fans have already started to troll him.
Especially with Cavill being the face of the Man of Steel for years and gaining a massive fan following, and because the news broke right after he announced that he will be returning as Superman. As such, people did not take very kindly to that. However, his recent comment on how he might have already found his Superman and his relief regarding that is intriguing, to say the least.
Henry Cavill’s disappointing departure from James Gunn’s DC
After a surprise cameo at the end of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, Henry Cavill took to Instagram to announce his excitement for his return to the franchise. This obviously sent fans on a roll as they couldn’t wait to see him reprise his role and what new adventure he would take on. However, after James Gunn took over DC, he posted an update again, which unfortunately was extremely disappointing.
Henry Cavill as Superman
Posting on his Instagram account, he claimed that he was made to announce his return as Superman by the studio just two months prior, after Black Adam‘s release. And now, potentially without any prior notice he is dropped, which he finds embarrassing, to say the least. Noting, “This news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” he added,
“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.”
He went on to explain that he feels fine with the decision, as, “The changing of the guard is something that happens.” And he seems to respect that. However, this obviously did not appease the fans as they promptly took to Twitter to express their discontent.
And now, after many months even with an explanation of how Cavill doesn’t fit his vision of Superman for the story he is planning, Gunn is still under the heat.
James Gunn’s relief with the new Superman
Talking about the future of DC under his reign, which he put under the banner Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, James Gunn claimed that his vision of Superman which is all set to be realized will mark, “the true beginning of the DCU.” He elaborated further, that he has finished writing the draft for the 2025 release Superman: Legacy, which he thinks will take DCU to a new height.
James Gun at Comic-Con
And with this movie, he desires to focus on a younger version of Superman which will shed more light on the backstory of this iconic superhero. As such, he explained that it matters who the filmmakers think will be a perfect fit for the character and for him, “For this story, it isn’t Henry.” As a result, although it turned many fans away from him, it also sparked interest in a few as to who this new face of Superman could be.
Inflaming that very interest, in a recent comment replying to a fan’s question he revealed that he might have already found a perfect fit. While replying to James Gunn’s Twitter post earlier today about his favorite directors, a fan asked whether anybody stood out for the role of Superman to him yet. Gunn replied quite enthusiastically that indeed some have. He commented, “Yes we have some incredible choices. I’m incredibly excited, and relieved.”
This obviously sent fans into a frenzy wondering if their theories about the casting choice might be right. Well, although it seems only time will answer that question, they still seem to be having fun chalking up the fan favorites. It will be interesting to see if any of those come true, as more details about the story and production come to light slowly, but one thing that can be said is, going by James Gunn’s words fans should be in for a treat.
