Henry Cavill’s Superman Return Was Opposed by Warner Bros., Black Adam’s Dwayne Johnson Reveals

Black Adam star Dwayne Johnson has revealed that Warner Bros. did not want Henry Cavill back as Superman. In a video celebrating the DC Comics film topping the Apple TV chart in the US, the actor praised Cavill’s return during the post-credits scene, before taking some shots at the larger figures at play at DC Films (now DC Studios). “At the end of the day, the studio was not bringing Henry Cavill back — inexplicably and inexcusably,” he said, further stressing that the idea has been years in the making. “But we weren’t gonna take no for an answer.”

Johnson then voiced his appreciation for Cavill’s take on Superman, calling him the “greatest” and noting that everything in the DC Comics universe circles back to him. “There was no way, there’s no viable, logical way that you can attempt to build out the DC Universe without the most powerful force and the greatest superhero of all time sitting on the sidelines. It’s impossible to do.” A previous report suggested that Johnson had been hatching the idea for Cavill’s return as Superman for the past four years, which was rejected by DC Films president Walter Hamada, who wanted to stray far from Zack Snyder’s foundation and continuity.

The disapproval drove Johnson to meet with Warner Bros. Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who approved Cavill’s inclusion in Black Adam. At the time, Hamada had plans to introduce a Black Superman, based on the fictional US President Calvin Ellis from Earth-23 in DC Comics. The executive has now silently exited the studio and heads the horror genre at Paramount Pictures.

Meanwhile, Cavill confirmed that he’s back to play the red-caped superhero, with reports claiming that a Man of Steel sequel is at play in the Warner Bros. Discovery offices. Charles Roven (The Dark Knight) is attached to produce, as a hunt for writers goes on.

Now that Black Adam and the Justice Society of America (JSA) have been introduced to the public, Johnson intends to start building out the DC Universe “properly, strategically, smartly.” “Again, the hierarchy of power in the DC Universe has changed,” he said, referring to the newly appointed co-heads at the brand-new DC Studios, filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran. The pair will oversee all upcoming DC Comics movies, shows, and animated projects — the former tends to the creative side, while the latter takes care of things on the business and production end.

Released on October 20, Black Adam grossed a worldwide total of $378.1 million (about Rs. 3,090 crore), as it introduced a bunch of new superheroes to the DC Universe. The film marks The Rock’s career-best opening weekend as the lead actor. Black Adam is now available on video-on-demand platforms in the US. An India OTT date is not known.