James Gunn clarifies that he’s not making a “young Superman movie, just a Superman movie” and fans are wondering why replace Henry Cavill?

Writer and director James Gunn is deeply in the process of developing his own Superman: Legacy movie, and right at the start of his stint at DC Studios, the director revealed it Henry Cavill he would not reprise his role as Superman in the film. As you know, this has upset many fans.

David Corenswet He has since been cast as Clark Kent / Superman and fans have compared him to a slightly younger version of Henry Cavill.

In a recent social media post, a fan asked James Gunn about his “young Superman movie” and whether that movie would be “set in the past” before the events of Blue Beetle. Gunn responded to the fan’s writing, “I’ve never made a ‘young Superman’ movie, only a Superman movie!”

Gunn previously said of the film, “In the early stages, our story will focus on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character won’t be played by Henry Cavill.” So technically this is going to be a younger version of Superman, which is why he recast the role.

I’ve seen some people on social media wondering why replace Henry Cavill if Gunn is just making a Superman movie. Some of the comments include:

So why not hire Henry because that’s what everyone wants and he’s pretty much the modern day Superman like Christopher Reeves was years ago. We want him and no one else and he looks like he’s in his 30s. Bring Zack Snyder back to work under or with you to finish the Justice League we want and deserve with the cast we want. It’s money waiting to be earned

Another asked:

Wait, so why not Cavill then? If you’re making a Superman movie that isn’t about a younger Superman, why did you say Cavill was too old? Your worlds.

Gunn previously explained Cavill’s situation by saying:

“We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast. He was in a cameo, and that was the end of his story about him. A lot of people made assumptions that weren’t true, but for me it’s about who I want to cast as Superman and who the filmmakers want.

Referring to his Superman: Legacy film, Gunn continued:

“For me, for this story, it’s not Henry. I like Henry. He’s a good guy. I think he has been made fun of by many people, including the former regimes of this company. But this Superman isn’t Henry for a variety of reasons.

Yep, it still sucks that Cavill ended up as Superman and we’ll never get to see his vision for the character come to life. But I hope Gunn becomes a great Superman, the world could use a great Superman movie right now.

Superman: Legacy will tell the story of “Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, driven by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.

The film is also the protagonist Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nathan Fillion like Green Lantern, Isabella Merced such as Hawkgirl, e Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific.

Superman: Legacy will launch the film portion of DC Studios’ Gods and Monsters: Part 1. It is expected to start in early 2024 and is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.