James Gunn was hired for Superman Legacy before Henry Cavill's cameo

On another important point, this means the management of Warner Bros. Discovery were aware of a new Superman project that was in development, yet still allowed Henry Cavill to

announce he was officially back

, as seen on his

Instagram post

after the Black Adam cameo.

To say that fans of Henry Cavill and the DCEU were incensed by this new information that came to light is an understatement.

It also raised more questions regarding what the plans were even before Gunn and Safran began retooling the new DC Studios. Why were there no announcements of another Superman project when there were already two in early stages of development (one under J.J. Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and another with Michael B. Jordan)? If Superman: Legacy has been in development this long, then was it planned as part of the DCEU or for Elseworlds? Was Dwayne Johnson aware of this project before bringing in Henry Cavill to cameo for the post-credit scene in Black Adam?

Fans of Henry Cavill have particularly been vocal about their disappointment, as this makes it seem Warner Bros. hung out the star of Man of Steel to dry, so to speak. The fact that Gunn stated Cavill was not fired, but simply not hired back in December 2022 because the plans would require a younger actor, only seems to be creating more confusion among the fandom. Plus, it also strengthens the speculation that there were plans for Man of Steel 2 and that the Superman: Legacy script Gunn was hired for was intended to be that sequel.

Regardless of what the full details are, this is simply another example of how messy the circumstances were in the DCEU prior to the DC Studios reboot announcements.

Written by James Gunn, the DC Universe officially begins in Superman: Legacy, targeted for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.