In a surprising twist, DC Studios Co-CEO James Gunn revealed that he was hired to write Superman: Legacy months before Henry Cavill’s last minute cameo in Black Adam.
DC Studios had a stellar week from The Flash hype and revealing the first look at Lady Gaga’s Harley Quinn in Joker 2. But now it’s starting the new week with a revelation that raises fandom’s collective eyebrows.
DC Extended Universe fans are particularly stunned and reacting negatively to this news, as it seems to contradict a lot of what was known about the situation prior to James Gunn and Peter Safran being appointed as Co-CEOs of DC Studios.
On his official Twitter account, James Gunn replied to a query regarding Creature Commandos and Superman: Legacy films being fast-tracked. Gunn responded by stating he started writing it over six months ago.
It was. I was hired to write Superman Legacy over six months ago.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 19, 2023
The intent of the response was to assure fans that the filmmaker is not playing favorites. However, it simply raised more questions. For one, the timing of this would mean Gunn was working on a Superman project before he and Peter Safran were promoted by WBD CEO David Zaslav.
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.
#BoycottWBD #FireJamesGunnAndPeterSafran #MakeManOfTomorrow 💎 #SellSnyderVerseToNetflix ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/K5fjAy5oPe
— #RestoreTheSnyderVerse ⚒️🌌 #ReleaseTheAyerCut 💀 (@ResSnyderVerse) February 20, 2023
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.
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