Various stills of Henry Cavill as Superman in movies.

While DC fans were disappointed when it was announced that Henry Cavill’s role as Superman had been terminated, it seems that he was never hired in the first place.

DC Studios co-CEO and co-chairman James Gunn provided a crucial clarification on the studio’s Henry Cavill situation. After Cavill’s post-credits cameo in last year’s Black Adam, many viewers — and apparently Cavill himself — was under the impression that his return as the Man of Steel was set, setting up disappointment upon the December news that he was dropped from the role. However, during the unveiling of his new DC slate, reported via THR, Gunn provided a different story. “We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast,” he declared. “For me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman and who do the filmmakers we have want to cast. And for me, for this story, it isn’t Henry.”

James Gunn’s Superman Plans

Gunn clarified that the non-hiring of Cavill for a formal Superman return was nothing personal. “I like Henry, I think he’s a great guy,” he explained. “I think he’s getting dicked around by a lot of people including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons.” Indeed, the presentation in question would see Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran reveal plans for a new iteration of the Man of Steel, a feature titled Superman: Legacy, which avoids an origin story to tell a more complex tale, set to arrive in 2025.

Cavil recently provided a heartfelt goodbye to Clark Kent and the Superman movies on his Instagram account: “The changing of the guard is something that happens,” he wrote. “I respect that James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.” Cavill will, however, appear in the upcoming Warhammer 40,000 TV series for Amazon’s Prime Video, following his departure as Geralt of Riveria from the Netflix fantasy hit The Witcher last year.

Gunn revealed the initial plans for a reimagined DC Universe in the Twitter video, outlining a shared mission with Safran to keep the future DCU unified for “one story” across movies, TV shows, games, and more. Among the movies he listed, Gunn verified fan speculation regarding The Flash, noting that it “resets the entire DC Universe,” before adding that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will tie straight into the future projects and the 10-year plan he and Safran have outlined.

However, DC Studios still plans to release films and series outside the main DC Universe, which will carry the label “Elseworlds.” Films and shows that are already known to take place on a different Earth such as the upcoming sequels The Batman Part II and Joker: Folie à Deux will be relegated to this part of the studio’s slate.

Superman: Legacy, the first film in the new DC Universe, will be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.