‘It was unfair to him’: James Gunn on letting Henry Cavill go as Superman

James Gunn has opened up about the difficult conversation he had with Henry Cavill regarding the actor's departure from the role of Superman.

In a recent appearance on Josh Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, the co-head of DC Studios revisited the confusing series of events that led to Cavill publicly stating he would return as Superman, only to reveal about two months later that he would not be part of Gunn's reimagined DC Universe. 

Gunn recalled feeling surprised by how the situation unfolded, saying, "I'm like, what is going on? Like, we know what the plan is, the plan was to come in and reboot Superman," referring to the 2025 film starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel.

"That was unfortunate, I'm like, this poor guy. And so Peter [Safran] (DC co-head) and I [knew] the right thing to do is to sit down with [Cavill] and talk to him," he said. "And we sat down, we talked to him, he was an absolute gentleman, a great guy about it. He said, 'The only thing I ask is that I'm able to reveal it myself as opposed to it coming from you guys.'"

Reflecting on the conversation he had with Cavill, Gunn admitted it was a difficult experience. "It was really unfair to him, and honestly, it was a huge letdown," he said. Gunn also noted that external forces were pushing for their own vision at DC, which clashed with his plans and were never officially considered.

Although Cavill didn't return as Superman, there is still mutual respect between him and Corenswet. Before Corenswet officially stepped into the role, he exchanged letters with both Cavill and "Superman & Lois" actor Tyler Hoechlin. 

"It was an honour to receive messages from two former Supermen," Corenswet shared at the film's London premiere. "Interestingly, both said something along the lines of, 'I'm not gonna try to give you any tips.' They were very kind and supportive. I hope to meet them in person someday—it would be amazing for us all to be in the same room."

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Toward the end of the interview, Horowitz asked Gunn if recasting Cavill in a different role within the DC Universe might be confusing for audiences. Gunn quickly dismissed the concern, saying, "Not at all. We actually talked about that the same day. I'd love to find a role for Henry."