DC Extended Universe head honcho James Gunn has cleared the air on his feelings towards former Superman actor Henry Cavill after speculation on social media that there was bad blood between the two.
Superman is an important character for Warner Bros. Discovery, with the character kicking off the entire DC Extended Universe with Man of Steel, which had Cavill in the leading role and created a new continuity by not being set in the same universe as the Dark Knight trilogy. Cavill's Superman then proceeded to headline Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and both the regular theatrical and Snyder cuts of Justice League.
Gunn took to his Twitter to post a message celebrating the Anniversary of Christopher Reeve's Superman, the fondly remembered title that kicked off the wider audience’s fascination with Superman movies. The tweet, a simple image of the film’s original poster and the caption “Superman premiered 44 years ago today,” was enough to kickstart a barrage of fan interaction that led to questions about a return to the big screen for the character and rumors of bad blood between Gunn and actor Henry Cavill, who recently stepped away from his role on The Witcher supposedly to focus on the DCEU and Superman.
In light of speculation that Cavill's return to Superman wasn’t a done deal, one user asked if fans would be seeing Superman anytime soon, Gunn assured the thread that there was nothing to worry about. “Yes of course. Superman is a huge priority, if not the biggest priority,” he confirmed. Another thread, started by a fan assertion that Gunn did not like Cavill, saw the DCEU head executive weigh in with a simple, “Sure: false.” Gunn also gave some rather sassy retorts to another user on the thread who insisted he had it on good authority that the two had bad blood.
The rumors surrounding the relationship between Gunn and Cavill likely stem from the lack of positive news about his DCEU future since Gunn took over, despite Cavill being a fan favorite with so much popularity that viewers of The Witcher started a petition to keep him in the role. However, Gunn has generally shown himself to get along with those he works with, and Cavill has a good reputation as a co-worker, making friction between the two seem a bit far-fetched.
While Gunn has confirmed that he has no qualms about Cavill, fans are likely to keep speculating, as the now-former Superman confirmed that he would not be returning to the role as initially thought. This announcement coincided with Gunn's reveal that he would be penning a Superman script focused on the character’s formative years, pushing Cavill out of the running to play the role in the next project. While the news is a blow for fans, there is every chance that this isn't the end of Cavill's involvement in the DCU.
Source: James Gunn/Twitter
