Young ‘Superman’ Movie Written by James Gunn First Film on DC Studios Slate, Henry Cavill Steps Aside
The first film on DC Studios’ slate will be a new Superman movie as written by the studio’s new co-head James Gunn, Gunn announced on Wednesday. But it won’t star Henry Cavill.
IndieWire has learned that the new Superman will focus on a young Clark Kent when he first arrives in Metropolis. No director is attached yet.
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As for whether Henry Cavill will return as Superman, because the film focuses on a younger hero, it will star someone other than Cavill. Cavill himself confirmed the news on Instagram shortly after news broke of a new Superman movie, and he said “my turn to wear the cape has passed.”
However, IndieWire understands that Gunn and Safran met with Cavill recently, and the door is open for him to continue working with DC in the future. What’s more, Cavill previously announcing on Instagram that he was returning was not him going rogue but was instead fully sanctioned by Warner Bros. under a prior regime. It’s unclear however what Cavill’s future role in the future of DC Studios would be.
Cavill is not the only meeting Gunn and Safran have taken. IndieWire additionally learned that Ben Affleck met with Gunn and Safran to potentially direct a future DC movie, though it’s unclear which project he would be involved in at this stage.
Gunn and Safran recently met with Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav and outlined their entire plan, and they’ll now turn to getting a group of writers and directors in place for their various projects. It’s expected that in early January they’ll be ready to reveal more details about the first chapter of films and TV projects under the DC Studios banner.
Looking ahead, DC has a handful of films throughout 2023 that still come from a prior regime, including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” “The Flash” with Ezra Miller, “Blue Beetle,” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” It’s unclear how or if any of these characters or story threads might factor into the future of DC, but IndieWire understands that Gunn and Safran are still excited about the films and each have their own surprises.
The “Superman” movie news follows some other tumult on the DC Studios side of things in recent days, including IndieWire’s reporting that plans for a “Wonder Woman 3” as written by Patty Jenkins would not move forward at the studio and that Jenkins was unwilling to alter her script. However, Jenkins recently pushed back and in a statement to social media yesterday said that she did not walk away from the film and was willing to cooperate with the studio.
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