James Gunn Says Henry Cavill Wasn’t Fired, ‘Just Not Hired’
Update 2/1/2023: DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has weighed in further on Henry Cavill’s short-lived return as Superman late last year, saying the actor was “d**ked around by DC.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn reiterated at a press event that Cavill wasn’t fired, just not hired, but added that DC telling him to announce his return as Superman only to have it revoked six weeks later was somewhat unfair.
“I like Henry, I think he’s a great guy,” Gunn said, “I think he’s getting d**ked around by a lot of people, including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons.”
Original Story 1/31/2023: DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has clarified that Man of Steel actor Henry Cavill was not fired but simply not hired for further Superman projects.
Speaking at a press event yesterday that revealed the roadmap of the revamped DCU’s first chapter, Gods and Monsters, Gunn was asked which actors from the old DCEU (that started with Man of Steel and still has a handful of films to go including The Flash) would be included in the new universe.
Despite saying that some decisions have been made, Gunn didn’t give much away regarding what those were or even if they’d made decisions at all for some actors.
“We have [made decisions]. Some we don’t know,” he said. “We’ve talked to Gal [Gadot]. She’s up for doing stuff. We’re not sure what we’re going to do with that.”
Where Gunn was certain, however, was in the status of the DCEU’s original two premiere actors: Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman. “All I can tell you right now is Henry and Ben are not a part of this universe,” he said.
“Also, important to say that Henry Cavill was not fired,” Gunn added. “Henry was just not hired to be Superman in the Superman movie. There was never a deal there for another movie.”
Speculation surrounding Cavill’s return as Superman began around the premiere of Black Adam, when the actor reprised his role in a brief cameo for the first time since 2017’s Justice League.
Black Adam actor Dwayne Johnson spoke regularly of his film resetting the DCEU, with his and Cavill’s characters destined to fight on screen one day. This was escalated further by Cavill claiming he was officially back and the Black Adam cameo was a “very small taste of what’s to come”.
Things soon changed once Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran took over DC Studios, however, and around six weeks after declaring his return, Cavill posted again to announce he would not be returning as the Man of Steel.
Gunn and Safran’s DCU will instead open with a new actor donning the suit in Superman: Legacy, a story about Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing that premieres on July 11, 2025.
It’ll be followed by four films and five TV shows that together create Chapter 1 of the DCU, including the likes of Batman and Robin in The Brave and the Bold, Supergirl, and Swamp Thing. See everything that was announced here.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
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