It’s the news many suspected was coming but hoped it wouldn’t be true.
Henry Cavill has been dropped as Superman, only two months after announcing his “official” return to the character.
Cavill revealed today he had a meeting with DC Studios’ new bosses, James Gunn and Peter Safran, and that it was “sad news”. Gunn is writing a Superman movie that will focus on a younger version of the character.
The British actor wrote on social media: “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 [of Gunn and Safran], 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 universes 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.”
Gunn wrote on Twitter, “Peter and 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.”
Gunn also revealed he and Safran had met Ben Affleck yesterday: “He wants to direct and we want him to direct, we just have the find the right project”.
Affleck joined the DC Extended Universe as Batman under director Zack Snyder and was to write, direct and star in his own stand-alone Caped Crusader movie. But he eventually dropped out and that project morphed into The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves.
Cavill’s sacking as Superman comes at a particularly awkward time for the actor, who recently quit his lead role in Netflix series The Witcher after wrapping up three seasons. He will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth.
At the time it was announced, it was assumed that at least part of the reason was Cavill’s return to the DC superhero screen universe was going to be keeping him busy.
Cavill hadn’t donned Superman’s famous cape since 2017 film Justice League but had just returned for a mid-credits cameo in the Dwayne Johnson-led Black Adam.
Johnson said he lobbied hard for Cavill’s return as Superman, and studio bosses eventually capitulated. In the comic books, Superman and Black Adam are traditional rivals and the idea was to set up future clashes between the two superpowered beings.
Cavill still has two projects coming up, movies from Guy Ritchie and Matthew Vaughn.
Cavill’s sacking is part of a wave of changes at DC, which is undergoing new management with Gunn and Safran who have been brought on to create and oversee a cohesive vision for the studio over the next 10 years.
Filmmaker Gunn and producer Safran have previously worked with DC – Gunn on The Suicide Squad movie with Margot Robbie and Idris Elba and the Peacemaker TV spin-off, and Safran is a producer on Aquaman, Aquaman 2, Shazam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods and The Suicide Squad.
However, Gunn is best known for his films for rival studios Marvel, having helmed the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Since Gunn and Safran took on their jobs in recent weeks, it’s been chaos at the studio with rumours, speculation and leaks of the changes coming down the line.
Last week, it was confirmed Wonder Woman 3 would no longer go ahead. Director Patty Jenkins issued a statement this week on social media to debunk claims that she walked away, arguing that she was willing to work within Gunn and Safran’s new vision but it wasn’t to be.
J“I never walked away,” Jenkins wrote. “I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time.
“DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”
Jenkins paid tribute to Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, as well Lynda Carter, who played the character in the 1970s TV series.
Gunn himself had to post a statement on Twitter last week after industry trades ran stories that everything at DC was potentially on the chopping block, most notably the characters that originated in Zack Snyder’s movies, including Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Ezra Miller as The Flash.
He wrote, “So. As for the story yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, some of it is true, some of it is half-true, some of it is not true and some of it we haven’t decided yet whether it’s true or not.
“Although this first month at DC has been fruitful, building the next 10 years of story takes time and we’re still just beginning.
“Peter and I chose to helm DC Studios knowing we were coming into a fractious environment, both in the stories being told and in the audience itself and there would an unavoidable transitional period as we moved into telling a cohesive story across film, TV, animation and gaming.
“But in the end, the drawbacks of that transitional period were dwarfed by the creative possibilities and the opportunities to build upon what has worked in DC so far and to help rectify what has not.
“We know we are not going to make every single person happy every step of the way, but we can promise everything we do is done in the service of the story and in the service of the DC characters we know you cherish and we have cherished our whole lives.”
In almost a decade since Man of Steel, the success of DC movies has been inconsistent compared to Marvel, which is a well-oiled machine under boss Kevin Feige.
Warner Bros has gone through several studio heads for the DC output, each marked by some controversy, while the creative vision as set out by Snyder has been divisive.
The Kiwi actor has been part of the Star Wars universe for more than 20 years.