James Gunn sets the record straight on Henry Cavill Superman exit

Superman director and co-head of DC Studios, James Gunn, has finally set the record straight on Henry Cavill’s exit as Superman. A section of fans had blamed Gunn for the actor no longer reprising his role in the newly created DCU and being replaced by David Corenswet. Speaking in a recent interview, Gunn shared that he and Peter Safran were brought in to reboot the franchise and start with a clean slate.

Fallout from Black Adam and a miscommunication

Much of the backlash towards Gunn stemmed from the 2022 release of Black Adam, during which it was announced that Cavill would be appearing in future DC projects. This was largely due to Dwayne Johnson’s attempt to take over the failing DC Extended Universe (DCEU), and setting up a clash between his Black Adam and Cavill’s Superman. However, these plans fell through when the movie underperformed at the box office.

Speaking in an interview with Josh Horowitz, Gunn shared, "It’s terrible, believe it or not, the day we were dealing with trying to figure out if we could take the job at DC Studios. The day the deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back. And I was like, 'What is going on? We know what the plan is. The plan was to come in and do Superman.' It was really unfair to him and a total bummer."

Gunn on studio confusion and a Cavill's gentlemanly exit

Hinting at the ongoing drama with the studio at the time, Gunn added, "There was a vacuum at the time and a lot of people were... they had a take on what they wanted to do at DC and they were trying to force their way and it was just never part of the equation for WBD CEO David Zaslav."

Despite the mixed reception to Zack Snyder’s take on Superman, fans were impressed with Henry Cavill’s performance and wanted to see more of him. Speaking about Cavill, Gunn said, "We came in, and that was really unfortunate. I’m like, 'This poor guy.' Henry was an absolute gentleman and a great guy about it. He said, 'The only thing I ask is that I’m able to reveal it myself as opposed to coming from you guys.' And I’m like, 'That’s a class act.'"

Cavill’s working on Warhammer 40K for Amazon

Gunn concluded by saying that he would love to have Henry Cavill do a role in the new DCU and hopes to speak to him about it one day. Cavill is currently working on a live-action adaptation of the popular Warhammer 40K franchise for Amazon, so it seems unlikely we will be seeing him in the DCU anytime soon.

Superman’s success at the box office

Speaking of the DCU, Gunn’s Superman has been going strong at the box office and has grossed over $272.8 million worldwide since its release earlier this month. There are plenty of movies and TV projects in the DCU lineup, and it is rumoured that David Corenswet’s Superman will make a cameo in Peacemaker season 2, which will premiere on HBO Max this August.