James Gunn Once Revealed Henry Cavill Was ‘Dicked Around’ By Former DC Execs—But He Was Never Recast As Superman

James Gunn wasted no time setting the record straight about Henry Cavill’s Superman status. After the whole drama around Cavill’s return, Gunn dropped some truth bombs while revealing his plans for the DC Universe. Spoiler alert: Cavill was never recast as Superman.

“We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast. For me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman and who do the filmmakers we have want to cast. And for me, for this story, it isn’t Henry.” Gunn made crystal clear (per The Hollywood Reporter.). Remember when Cavill announced his return to Black Adam in October 2022? Yeah, that wasn’t Gunn’s call. He was focused on casting the right Superman for his vision—and that didn’t include Cavill for the upcoming Superman: Legacy, set to fly into theaters in 2025.

But don’t get it twisted — Gunn has no bad blood with Cavill. He called him a “great guy” and explained that the actor had been “dicked around by a lot of people” under the old regime at DC. Still, Gunn’s new Superman needed a fresh face and a different direction, especially since this story would dive into a younger, earlier stage of the character’s life.