James Gunn, the new CEO of DC Studios, has once again commented on rumors and reports and made clear statements about Henry Cavill and Superman.
The DC Universe (DCU) is changing more than previously thought. Fans are so unsettled by recent reports that new DC boss James Gunn has had to step into the attack to calm things down. According to the DC Studios Co-Chairman and CEO, some of the things raised are true, some are only half true, and some are flat out false.
The details that both Dwayne Johnson and Henry Cavill should have no future in the new DCU caused the greatest uncertainty. Johnson’s “Black Adam” did not do well at the box office, grossing just $385 million worldwide. The corona pandemic can no longer be used as an excuse for the poor performance when a Tom Cruise flushes a whopping 1.5 billion US dollars into the coffers worldwide with “Top Gun: Maverick”.
Whichever way Johnson shoots it, “Black Adam” is unlikely to have much relevance to the rest of the DCU for Warner Bros. Discovery, other than as a supporting character in another film, but not as a solo series.
On the other hand, some fans were surprised that Cavill’s DCU future should suddenly be completely open again. Because the popular actor himself had just announced his return as Man of Steel.
And many fans were adamant that his departure from the Netflix hit The Witcher must have something to do with it. All the more shocked they reacted to this new message. Has the good man maneuvered himself into absolute drama?
Not at all, as James Gunn lets us know: Richard Donner’s “Superman” with Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando was released in US cinemas 44 years ago. The film is currently available as a special edition with a Prime subscription at no additional cost.
The filmmaker took this and declared comic aficionado an opportunity to share the poster on Twitter:
Superman premiered 44 years ago today. ❤️💫 pic.twitter.com/FRtl4noDwI
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 10, 2022
Naturally, fans took this opportunity to ask Gunn about Superman’s future in the DCU. And since he’s one of the most talkative people in Hollywood – it even cost him a stint as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Gunn responded promptly, assuring that the Man of Steel will play a major role:
Hey James, please tell us if we are gonna see a Superman? We've been starved of the greatest comic book character on the big screen for ages! pic.twitter.com/0eaPIbOYvN
— Aditya 🏹 (@DrDarkArcher) December 10, 2022
This response aligns with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s call for new theatrical releases from major brands owned by the company. In addition to “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings”, this also includes individual comic characters such as Superman and Batman. And Gunn goes one better: he not only confirms something special for Superman in the new DCU, but also his embodiment by Henry Cavill. Because when a fan asked if he wanted to clear up the rumor that he didn’t like Henry Cavill, Gunn simply replied:
@JamesGunn care to debunk this one?
— Caleb Williams SZN (@SwaggyB_23) December 10, 2022
That should provide confidence, even if a first draft of the script for “Man of Steel 2” was rejected according to Deadline. That was before James Gunn and Peter Safran joined as the new CEOs and co-chairs of DC Studios. The plan is for the two to help Superman back into the air. We don’t know at the moment whether all the DCU films mentioned in the video will come or not. But at least we can give you an approximate view.
Unfortunately, fans these days can be very toxic when something doesn’t happen exactly the way they want it to, or when they feel someone is going against their wishes. Even Gunn’s predecessor, Walter Hamada, had to contend with accusations that he was responsible for the failure of the DC films so far, even though he was a latecomer and could only do damage control. Hamada was even said to have been in the midst of planning a film adaptation of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comics starring Henry Cavill prior to his DC exit (via The Hollywood Reporter). According to rumors, he is said to have booted out Cavill. Gunn has also received hate mail. But the 56-year-old knows how to defend himself:
So weird. You seemed so plugged in! Anyway, I just had forty people reach out to me to say you just got kicked out of your Mom’s basement. So sorry, man.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 10, 2022
In fact, a lot of the rumors spread by YouTubers and influencers with supposedly local sources are flat out false and only serve to increase their reach. What is true, however, is that Henry Cavill will have, or has already had, an important meeting with James Gunn regarding his DCU future. The actor let it be known himself.