Soon after taking over as the co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn shocked DC fans as he announced his plans to recast Superman for the new DCU. While fans believed that he would be working with Henry Cavill, who reprised his role for the 2022 film Black Adam, Gunn claimed that the recasting would be done due to Cavill’s age, as the new Superman movie would focus on the earlier part of superhero’s life. Despite his earlier claims, the director has now stated that he was never making a young Superman movie.
James Gunn Never Intended to Make a “Young Superman” Movie
James Gunn has stated several reasons for recasting Superman for his upcoming movies. Soon after announcing that Henry Cavill would not return as the DC superhero in future movies due to his “different age.” Claiming that the initial projects following Clark Kent would focus on “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” he stated that the character would no longer be played by Cavill.
As he revealed his first film under DCU, Superman: Legacy, he also shared that the movie would not focus on the superhero’s origin story and even claimed that “it’s not limited to people in their twenties.” However, fans got curious after a Superman reference in the upcoming DC film Blue Beetle was revealed.
Considering Gunn has said that Blue Beetle is part of DCU, one fan asked The Suicide Squad director if his “young Superman movie set in the past?” While he did not say anything about Superman: Legacy’s timeline, he said that he was “never making a ‘young Superman’ movie.”
He further stated that he was just working on a “Superman movie.” His statement has left fans outraged as they call out the director, stating that he has been lying all along. Many also claimed that the real reason behind Cavill’s departure could be more than just his age.
Superman Reference in Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle
The upcoming film, which was initiated under Zack Snyder’s DCEU, has made it to the other side after James Gunn took over the DC Studios. While he has said that Blue Beetle will be the first DC character, the upcoming film won’t be the first DCU film.
And ahead of its release, it is claimed that Xolo Maridueña’s DC debut will feature a reference to Henry Cavill’s Superman. The film’s director, Angel Soto, recently addressed the influence Zack Snyder’s DCEU has had on the movie. He revealed that Blue Beetle would pay homage to the 2013 film Man of Steel.
“Even in Blue Beetle, there are some references to Man of Steel that we made out of honor and respect for the work and art of Zack Snyder,” he said during a recent interview. As Soto claims to have Man of Steel references, it could be related to Henry Cavill’s Superman.
Source: James Gunn via Threads
