James Gunn confirms that Warner Bros. wanted to refuse Henry Cavill before directing the suicide squad

In 2018, Disney dismissed James Gunn when a series of offensive tweets resurfaced. With fans, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3The distribution A-List, strongly criticizing the decision, Warner Bros. did not waste time recovering the services of the filmmaker.

This led to Gunn Helming 2021 The suicide team. While he would go back to Marvel Studios to finish the Guards Trilogy, the new relationship found of Gunn with the Rival studio finally named him co-PDG of DC Studios.

Warner Bros. offered Gunn a Superman movie before The suicide teamBut it wouldn’t have been Steel man 2… or a film with Henry Cavill. Here is an extract from a recent weekly article in entertainment:

Warner Bros. Initially offered to Gunn Superman before making The Suicide Squad of 2021, at the previous time of the DC narration. Even then, before the plans were firmly in place, the studio wanted a new actor to play Superman after Cavill, “It was therefore even more disorderly than it is now,” Said Gunn. But more importantly, he adds, ‘I did not have this special idea of ​​what [film] would be.

This aligns with various reports claiming that Cavill had been discreetly dismissed from the role of Superman after refusing to make an appearance in Camée in 2019 Shazam!.

It was only when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson went beyond his employers to bring Cavill for 2022 Black Adam that Warner Bros. ‘The hand was forced and Cavill was used to appear in The flash And a potential Steel man follow up. It never materialized, and when Gunn took over, he immediately decided to redo Supermanthe role of title.

As for what “Special idea” ended up being, noted Gunn, “Over the years, the stories that I have told have become more … How to say … less in front. I wanted to tell the story of someone who was really good in a world that does not value goodness, in a world that makes fun of basic kindness and basic human values.”

“The fact that he can fly and lift buildings and draw laser beams from his eyes was really secondary to whom he was as a person and what he represented”, ” He added.

Cavill’s time as Superman ended without ceremony, and he did not hesitate to express his disappointment in the face of Gunn’s decision. However, he was able to take another crack in a superhero with his unforgettable cameo under the name of “The Cavillrine” Deadpool and Wolverine.

Superman arrived in theaters on July 11, 2025.