Henry Cavill announced on Instagram on Thursday (December 15) that he will no longer be returning to the big screen as Superman. In the post, he wrote that in a meeting with film producers James Gunn and Peter Safran, it emerged that there was already a replacement for Cavill. The actor only announced his return as Superman in October after guest starring in the movie Black Adam.
Cavill initially wrote that he had a meeting with the two film producers and learned of the change from there. “After the studio told me back in October to announce my return before they then hire anyone, the news isn’t the easiest of news but that’s life,” the actor explained in his Instagram post. Afterward, he continued: “The change of guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. […] Superman is still there. Everything he stands for still exists and the principles he exemplified are still there. It’s not my turn to wear the cloak, but what Superman represents will never go away.”
James Gunn tweeted the same day (December 15) that Henry Cavill is not apt to play Superman because the upcoming film “focuses on an earlier period in Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. Additionally, he said, “But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans, and we talked about a number of exciting opportunities to work together in the future.” the new Superman movie will be an origin story, with: “No way.”
Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022
Henry Cavill played Superman in the films Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Cavill’s termination also comes as a surprise in that he recently handed over his prestigious role in the Netflix series “The Witcher” to Liam Hemsworth – which many interpreted as a step back to Superman commitments.