Henry Cavill made his screen debut as Superman in Zack Snyder’s 2013 Man of Steel, which grossed over $668 million at the global box office. He reprised the Caped Guy in the Snyder-directed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.
“I just met with James Gunn and Peter Safran and this is sad news, everyone,” the actor wrote in a statement posted on Instagram on Wednesday evening. “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman.”
In October, Cavill announced that he would return to play the lead role after a cameo in the Dwayne Johnson starrer Black Adam, with hopes that he will appear in the long-awaited sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel.
However, in late October, James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-chairmen and chief executive officers of DC Studios, replacing DC Films, the restructured division of Warner Bros. Discovery. The pair reportedly met to determine the future of Man of Steel 2, and now it looks like it won’t go ahead.
Henry Cavill is out as DC Studios’ Superman
“Having announced my return in October, before their hire, this news has not been the easiest, but such is life,” Cavill wrote. “The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that.”
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Cavill added: “James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”
Along with Cavill’s statement, Gunn addressed the development on Twitter.
Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
“Those guys have Superman on the slate,” Gunn wrote Wednesday. “In the early stages, our story will focus on the earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill.”
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DC Studios’ new look shows Wonder Woman 3 on hold, with director Patty Jenkins, saying Tuesday that “there’s nothing I can do to move anything forward at this point.”
The director also stated that “DC is clearly overwhelmed by those changes, so I understand that these decisions are difficult now.”
DC’s changing of the guard follows comments from Discovery CEO David Zaslav that the company was looking for “its very own Kevin Feige,” the mastermind creator and CEO of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Gunn has had a relationship with Marvel since directing the Guardians of the Galaxy films but crossed over to DC to direct Suicide Squad and the spinoff TV show Peacemaker after Marvel summarily fired him.
Cavill appeared as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017’s Justice League, 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and 2022’s Black Adam.
