SUPERMAN NEW MOVIE

Dani Di Placido
Senior Contributor
I write about film, television, pop culture, and other fun stuff.

Dec 20, 2022,

The hashtag #fireJamesGunn has been trending on Twitter ever since there
was a major shift from DC Studios, when newly crowned co-CEO James Gunn
confirmed that Henry Cavill would not be returning as Superman.
The announcement came as a major shock to the DC fandom, who had been
lead to believe that Cavill would don the cape again, as the post-credits scene
to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s much-hyped superhero flick Black Adam
heavily implied that the titular character would come into conflict with Superman
in a sequel.

Following the template created by Marvel Studios, DC’s superhero films often
tease future crossovers with a post-credits scene; unlike Marvel, DC rarely
follows through, as the overarching plan for the cinematic universe has been in
flux ever since Joss Whedon’s Justice League was panned by fans and critics.

Gunn, who previously wrote and directed Guardians of the Galaxy for Marvel,
as well as The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker for DC, promised that
Superman was “a huge priority, if not the biggest priority,” and that he had been
writing a fresh take on the character for some time.

Gunn has a strong resume; in a crowded landscape of caped crusaders, his

Peacemaker series was heralded as one of the most compelling superhero
stories out there, despite starring an incredibly obscure character.

But many DC fans found Cavill, with his chiseled features and public persona as
an enthusiastic nerd, to be the perfect fit for Superman, having never really
given the opportunity to play a comic-accurate version of the character. Cavill’s
previous appearances as Superman saw him murder an opponent, dying and
then hastily resurrected, then briefly becoming a villain.
Many DC fans either loved Cavill’s Superman, or hoped to see Cavill given
better material. A significant segment of the outcry has come from Zack Snyder
fans, who are known for being extremely … persistent, having previously
orchestrated a lengthy social media campaign demanding that Snyder finish his
cut of Justice League; Warner Bros. eventually succumbed to the pressure, and
gave Snyder $70 million to finish the film and put it on HBO Max.
Snyder fans also have a reputation for being melodramatic and aggressive; the
tweets aimed at Gunn are full of insults and expletives.

After several days of #fireJamesGunn trending, Gunn responded on Twitter,

assuring concerned fans that he was taking the responsibility seriously. Gunn
also took a firmer tone, acknowledging that he had been harassed, writing:

“No one loves to be harassed or called names – but, to be frank, we’ve been
through significantly worse. Disrespectful outcry will never, ever affect our
actions.”

Gunn has endured controversy before, having been “canceled,” ousted from
Marvel after his unpleasant, offensive jokes on Twitter were brought to light;
Gunn went on to direct The Suicide Squad for DC, before returning to Marvel to
continue the Guardians trilogy.

In his thread, Gunn implied that he had been expecting a major backlash from a
segment of the fandom:

“One of the things Peter & I were aware of when we took the job as heads of
DC Studios was a certain minority of people online that could be, well,
uproarious & unkind, to say the least.”
In his thread, Gunn effectively told the DC fans that he was never going to
respond to their form of activism, i.e., the “disrespectful outcry.” Snyder Cut fans
campaigned for years to get their film completed, against unlikely odds, so
Gunn might find himself repeating his words in the future.

The Superman announcement was another dramatic shift in direction from DC

Studios, as a slate of films and television shows have been canceled or
completely scrapped by Warner Bros., such as Batgirl and the planned Wonder
Woman 3. Existing shows, such as Westworld, have even stripped from HBO
Max, allegedly for the sake of a few tax write-offs.

The upcoming Flash movie, starring Ezra Miller, somehow survived the cuts,
but the film has been riddled with controversy ever since Miller allegedly went
on a crime spree. The film is believed to spark a hard reset of the DC universe
through a multiverse/time travel plotline, but it is unclear what exactly Gunn has
planned.

Meanwhile, the sequels to Todd Phillips’ Joker and Matt Reeves’ The Batman
have been left to go in their own direction; both of the franchises are relatively
grounded and seem unlikely to connect to the interstellar exploits of Superman
and the Justice League.

While the DC universe has been a mess for a very long time, Gunn seems
intent on bringing the house in order, promising to prioritize story. Gunn has
proved himself to be a good writer, and knows how to craft compelling
characters; it seems a safe enough bet to trust his instincts. After all, DC has
always seemed a little confused by Superman, a character who seems out of
time in the current era.

Fandoms are notoriously defensive and emotional when it comes to their

chosen franchises, and are often wrong about casting and creative decisions
(when Heath Ledger was first announced as the Joker, DC fans were livid;
Ledger’s performance is now considered iconic, and continues to influence
depictions of the character).

Hopefully, Gunn's brief stint being “canceled” has prepared him for the tsunami
of furious fans; the onslaught seems likely to continue for some time.

Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website.

I'm fascinated by all forms of storytelling; movies, television, mythology, fairy
tales, and urban legends.
BY AARON COUCH, BORYS KIT
DECEMBER 16, 2022

Nearly two months to the day after Henry Cavill declared on Instagram he was
back as Superman — “I wanted to make it official,” he said in the Oct. 24 clip —
the actor was forced to acknowledge that no, he will not be back after all as new
DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran chart a new course for the
Man of Steel in a movie to be written by Gunn, which will feature a younger
actor in the lead role.
“I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” Cavill said in a new post on
Instagram on Dec. 14, “After being told by the studio to announce my return
back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The
changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and
Peter have a universe to build.”
Henry Cavill on Not Returning as Superman: "This News Isn't the Easiest"
The sunsetting of Cavill’s time as Superman was the clearest indication yet that
Gunn and Safran are mounting a substantial overhaul of DC, a reboot that will
cut significant, if not most, ties to the previous regimes that handled DC movies
for Warner Bros. Cavill also shot a cameo in The Flash, one of four DC movies
set to release in 2023, but sources say that cameo, along with that of Gal Gadot
as Wonder Woman, is now being cut given that the studio chose to not go
forward with director Patty Jenkins’ version of Wonder Woman 3.

Cavill found himself in a confluence of different headwinds at the studio.

Dwayne Johnson pushed for his return via the much-hyped cameo in Black
Adam and a potential linchpin for Johnson’s own DC universe franchise. But
Black Adam has grossed $389 million worldwide, its soft performance calling
into question Johnson’s much-touted plans for a sequel and an eventual Adam
vs. Superman movie even before Gunn’s decision. The studio had its own plan
as new film co-chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy wanted to make a Man of
Steel sequel, having Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight to write the
treatment. (Classic character Brainiac was to have been the villain of that piece,
a source says.)

“In the end, he was a pawn in Dwayne’s failed attempt to control a piece of DC,”
one insider observers.

Cavill, sources say, did not have a deal in place to return as Superman, only a
verbal agreement that the studio would develop future projects. He was paid
$250,000 each for his cameos. The actor in recent years had a resurgence
thanks to starring in Netflix’s popular fantasy series The Witcher, which saw him
earning $1 million per episode. Cavill left the show this fall, although it’s unclear
if the promise of more Superman appearances were behind his exit.

Gunn and Safran are well aware of the sensitivities behind axing the popular
Justice League cast by Zack Snyder as well as the sensitivities of parting ways
with high-profile and popular talent. Forgoing a call to agents or producers, the
executives met with Cavill to discuss their plans and seemed to indicate a
potential new role down the road. The pair have also made overtures to Ben
Affleck, aka Batman, asking him to direct a DC film for them while Jason
Momoa — who may be done as Aquaman — has met with the duo as well,
possibly about playing a new role.

Cavill has already lined up another franchise, War Hammer 40,000 at Amazon.

As for Gunn, he responded to a fan who accused Warner Bros. and DC of

stringing Cavill along to goose Black Adam‘s opening weekend. Said Gunn in a
comment on Instagram this week: “Everything with Black Adam happened
before I was around.”

A version of this story first appeared in the Dec. 16 issue of The Hollywood
Reporter magazine

SUPERMAN: 5 Reasons Why It's RIGHT For DC Studios To Replace Henry

Cavill (And 1 Why It's WRONG)
Henry Cavill's time as Superman is over, with the actor forced to say goodbye to
the Man of Steel as DC Studios looks to launch a new DCU. It was a bold
decision, but one we think was right...mostly.
HamiltonParker |
12/15/2022

As expected, DC Studios' DCU looks set to be a fresh start for this comic book
universe across film, television, and video games. It's an exciting time for fans
who have spent close to a decade frustrated by Warner Bros.' approach to the
franchise, but also one that's bringing its fair share of disappointments.

Days after we learned Wonder Woman 3 is unlikely to become a reality under

the new regime, James Gunn confirmed yesterday that he's writing a new
Superman film about a younger Man of Steel...and he won't be needing Henry
Cavill for it.

Fans are understandably upset, though probably not as much as the actor
seeing as it was only a few weeks ago he announced his return as Superman to
the world. It's a bally move on Gunn's part, but as much as you might not like to
hear this, we believe the filmmaker has made the right decision.

Then again, there's at least one reason it could be the wrong one.

By clicking the NEXT button, you can read our thoughts on why moving on from
Henry Cavill's Superman might be the best - and worst - idea for this new DCU.

Why It Was The Right Decision...

5. The DCU Needs A Fresh Start
Over the course of the DCEU's history, there have been some great moments,
a few fantastic films, and a lot of excellent casting decisions.

Outside of that, the franchise has been a failed experiment, unable to deliver
the same level of success as the MCU and telling stories that haven't resonated
with critics, fans, or regular moviegoers. For every Wonder Woman, there have
been about three Suicide Squads, and the DCU needs to go back to the
drawing board and start from scratch.

Keeping the DCEU actors, Cavill included, would be a major blunder. They're
massively talented and great as the characters they've been cast as - Margot
Robbie as Harley Quinn, for example - but for this 8-10 year plan to succeed,
it's time to move on from the Snyderverse.

4. Henry Cavill Is (Sorry!) Yesterday's News

There was a fair bit of excitement surrounding Cavill's announcement that he
would return as Superman, but it didn't break the internet. By the time Black
Adam rolled around, it had been five years since moviegoers saw his Man of
Tomorrow on the big screen, and interest had waned.

It's true that fans had held out hope to see more of the British actor as Clark
Kent, but that was drowned out by everything from #ReleaseTheSnyderCut to
all the other big plans we heard Warner Bros. had for Superman (and Supergirl)
on screen.

Simply put, at this point, any sort of Man of Steel 2 announcement would be
more of the same rather than a huge piece of news capable of generating a
suitable level of hype for the DCU as it enters this new era. It's time to move on,
something we're sure you'll agree with after our next slide...

3. There's Too Much Baggage

Zack Snyder did a lot of good in the DCEU, but his interpretation of Superman
was not for everyone. From the destruction of Metropolis during his battle with
General Zod to the way he ultimately dispatched that villain, this Clark Kent has
been divisive and controversial from the start.

We've since seen this Superman rock a laughable CGI jaw, murder Batman as
a full-fledged villain, and appear headless in Shazam! because Warner Bros.
wouldn't pay Cavill what he wanted.

Any sort of reboot could move on to some degree, but there's so much baggage
with this Superman, we'd always be forced to remember the past. Having the
actor reprise his role in the new DCU, surrounded by mostly new characters
and a vastly different approach to storytelling, would just feel awkward.

2. It Would Confuse Non-Fans

As comic book fans, we often tend to forget how different it is for regular
moviegoers - who make up the vast majority of box office takings - to
experience these stories.

Interest in the MCU has waned during Phase 4 because the regular Joe who
enjoys the spectacle of a new Marvel movie simply doesn't have time in their
busy lives to follow every single TV show in order to understand what's
happening. The concept of the Multiverse has confused fanboys, so how do you
think parents or causal comic book readers feel?

To include Cavill in a DCU that's clearly going to reboot this entire franchise,
making next year's The Flash near-meaningless, would be beyond confusing,
especially if his past is wiped away to accommodate new stories.

1. Everything About That Black Adam Cameo

If you're currently raging at James Gunn on Twitter for "firing" Henry Cavill, you
might want to think about aiming your frustrations elsewhere: The Rock, for
example.

Dwayne Johnson must have known he had a bad movie on his hands with
Black Adam, so, at the last minute, went around Walter Hamada in order to
orchestrate Henry Cavill's Superman return (they share an agent). From there,
he used the Man of Steel to increase interest in a movie receiving negative
reviews and hoped the cameo would guarantee interest in a sequel.

Instead, it's just shown that Johnson, and potentially Cavill, cannot be trusted. It
also means bringing this Superman into the DCU with the expectation that he'll
fight Black Adam, a crossover DC Studios is unlikely to want to make a reality
given the film's poor critical and commercial performance.

Why do we think DC Studios made a mistake by not moving forward with Henry
Cavill's Superman in the DCU? Continue reading below to find out!

...And Why It Might Have Been The Wrong Decision

1. Henry Cavill Deserved Better
Henry is having a tough enough time as it is, so we're not going to pile on the
poor guy any further. Everything we've said so far is hard to argue against, but
so too is the fact that the actor deserved better than this.

Since 2013, he had to deal with appalling creative decisions, poor management
from studio executives, and being shelved for reasons entirely out of his control.
Cavill always gave Superman his all on screen and has frequently talked about
his love for The Man of Steel; a character that he told the world he would return
as, thanks to Warner Bros., before being let go weeks later.

It sucks, and we wish he'd been given the chance to play the hopeful Superman
he wanted to bring to life on screen. Looking to the future, another DCU role
might be fun...however, we think it's about darn time Marvel Studios give him a
call and have him suit up as Captain Britain.
BY AARON COUCH
DECEMBER 14, 2022

James Gunn is making his first big move at DC and will pen a Superman movie.

The project will focus on the younger years of the hero, and thus he will be
played by a new actor rather than Superman veteran Henry Cavill. Gunn and
his DC Studios co-chair and co-CEO Peter Safran recently met with Cavill to
share the news, and to discuss ideas for potentially collaborating in the future
on something else, perhaps a different role.

At this stage, Gunn is merely writing the script, though he could potentially
direct depending on where his services are needed at DC Studios, according to
insiders.

“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,” Gunn wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
“Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be
focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be
played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re
big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together
in the future.”

Though this Superman will be on the younger side, he won’t be living in

Smallville but rather will be Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, according to
insiders.

The news may be a surprise to fans who expected Cavill to return as Superman
in the near future. Cavill appeared in a post-credits sequence in Black Adam,
released in October, and the Monday after the film opened, posted a message
on Instagram announcing he was back as Superman. According to sources,
that Instagram message was sanctioned by Warners brass, before Gunn and
Safran were hired, thus the change in plans.

Cavill, who announced his departure from the Netflix series The Witcher
following his return as Superman, reflected on the change in an Instagram post,
writing, “I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told by the
studio to announce my return back in October, prior to [Gunn and Safran’s] hire,
this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is
something that happens. I respect that. 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.”

Over his near decade since first playing Superman, Cavill has become a fan
favorite actor, first appearing in 2013’s Man of Steel, and reprising the role in
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017).

Since assuming their new roles on Nov. 1, Gunn and Safran have been taking
meetings with other key players in the DC universe. In addition to Cavill, they
recently met with Batman actor Ben Affleck to discuss the possibility of him
directing for them in the future, according to sources familiar with the
conversation. No deal is in place for him to helm a DC feature at this stage.
They also had conversations with filmmaker Patty Jenkins, who no longer will
be moving forward with a third Wonder Woman film.
Warners has also been developing a Black superman film written by Ta-Nehisi
Coates and produced by J.J. Abrams, and Gunn’s new movie is said to not
have an impact on that project, with Coates still working on the script.

Warners has long wanted Gunn to tackle a Superman movie. In 2018, after
Gunn departed Marvel Studios for DC when he was temporarily fired from
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, then-Warners studio boss Toby Emmerich
pushed for Gunn to take on Superman. Gunn opted to write and direct The
Suicide Squad instead. That movie also paved the way for Peacemaker, the
HBO Max spinoff starring John Cena, and gave Gunn a taste of worldbuilding in
the DC universe.

Still, Superman has long been a favorite of Gunn, who has been thinking about
this new movie since his early days at DC four years ago. Over the weekend,
Gunn marked the anniversary of the 1978 film by Richard Donner, sharing the
poster and reminiscing about seeing it in theaters in Missouri as a child. Wrote
the filmmaker and exec: “I loved it and it rivaled Star Wars for me. And the
score blew my mind.”
December 14, 2022

James Gunn, Co-CEO of DC Studios, took to Twitter tonight to announce that a

new Superman movie is in the works, which he himself will be writing… but
Henry Cavill will not be involved.

“Peter [Safran] & 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.”

“Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be
focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be
played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re
big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together
in the future.”

While James Gunn says he’s been writing the script for the new Superman
movie for a while now, they still don’t have a director attached to the film.
Gunn did also state that the new film won’t be an origin story, just that the film
will focus on the early stages of Superman.

Henry Cavill posted the following message on his Instagram account:

“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran and it’s sad
news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman. After being told
by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this
news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life. The changing of the guard is something
that happens. I respect that. 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.”

“For those who have been by my side through the years… we can mourn for a
bit, but then we must remember… Superman is still around. Everything he
stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there! My turn to
wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It’s been a
fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards.”