James Gunn admits Superman confusion was 'unfair' to Henry Cavill
The 42-year-old actor had announced he was set to reprise the role, only to reveal two months later that he wouldn't be part of the new DC Studios co-head's vision for the franchise, and now James has explained he and Peter Safran were taken aback when his return was announced.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, James said: 'We were dealing with trying to figure out if we could take the job at DC Studios, and we're talking to David Zaslav and all the legal people there, and figuring out what our deals would be.
'And the day our deal closed, all of a sudden they were announcing that Henry was back.
'I'm like, what is going on? Like, we know what the plan is, the plan was to come in and do Superman.
'That was really unfortunate, I'm like, this poor guy."
The new DC bosses were impressed with how Henry handled the news.
James continued: "And so Peterand I [knew] the right thing to do is to sit down with [Cavill] and talk to him.
'And we sat down, we talked to him, he was an absolute gentleman, a great guy about it. He said, 'The only thing I ask is that I'm able to reveal it myself as opposed to it coming from you guys.'
"It was really unfair to him and was a total bummer."
James explained there were external influences who 'wanted to take on what they wanted to do at DC and were trying to force their way and it just was never a part of the equation.'
The filmmaker - who cast David Corenswet in the title role of his Superman movie - was asked if it would be "too confusing" to recast Henry in a different DC Universe role, and he admitted he is keen to work with the Witcher star.
He said: 'No, as another character? Absolutely not. I talked to him about it on that day. I would love to put Henry in something.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
James Cameron intends to direct the fourth and fifth Avatar movies
James Cameron is "good to go" when it comes to directing Avatar 4 and Avatar 5. The 70-year-old filmmaker has helmed the third movie in the epic sci-fi franchise Avatar: Fire and Ash – which will be released in December – and plans to be behind the camera for the next two pictures, which are scheduled to hit cinemas in 2029 and 2031 respectively. Speaking to Empire magazine, James said: "I mean, there's no reason not to. "I'm healthy, I'm good to go. I'm not going to rule it out. I mean, I've got to make it in a vigorous way, to handle the kind of volume and energy of the work for another six or seven years. You know what I mean? I might not be able to do that... (but) if I can, I'll just do it." The Titanic director pointed out that he has passed on his planned movies to other filmmakers in the past – as he gave the 2019 flick Alita: Battle Angel to Robert Rodriguez but remained closely involved with the picture's production. Cameron said of Rodriguez: "He honoured what I had written. We worked very collaboratively." The acclaimed filmmaker previously revealed that he does not plan to helm the sixth and seventh Avatar films, even though he does have stories in mind for them. He told People magazine: "We're fully written through movie five, and I've got ideas for six and seven, although I'll probably be handing the baton on at that point. "Mortality catches up. But I mean, we're enjoying what we're doing. We're loving it. We get to work with great people." James revealed earlier this year that he feels "pretty good" about Avatar: Fire and Ash after being thrilled by the feedback when he screened the movie for "a few selected people". The Terminator director told Stuff: "I've shown it to a few selected people and the feedback has been ... it's definitely the most emotional and maybe the best of the three so far. "We'll find out, you know, but I feel pretty good about it." The new movie features a cast that includes Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver and Cameron was very impressed with the efforts of the stars. He said: "The work is exceptional from the actors. It's pretty heart-wrenching in a good way." The original Avatar film became the highest-grossing movie of all time when it was released back in 2009 and Cameron admitted that he was hesitant to make sequels as he didn't want to spoil what he had achieved. The director said: "I had to think long and hard whether I even wanted to make another Avatar film, because it was kind of ours to lose. "When you've done something that's been that transcendent in terms of success, do you really want to go try and do that again? There's a lot of pressure on it. I thought about it for a good two years before we finally made a deal."
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
James Van Der Beek was candid with kids over cancer battle
James Van Der Beek was "as honest as possible" with his children about his cancer diagnosis because he didn't want to "confuse" them. The former Dawson's Creek star - who has Olivia, 14, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, nine, Gwendolyn, six, and Jeremiah, two, with wife Kimberly - was diagnosed with stage 3 colo-rectal cancer last year and didn't want to hide the news from his broos because "they know" when he's not doing well. Speaking on Today, he said: 'I'm far from an expert, but our approach was just to be as honest as possible, as honest to the degree of their understanding, right? Because they know. "They can sense that Dad's having a tough day. "They know if Dad's in pain. They know, and so by not telling them, I think you're confusing them even more." James has found "a lot of beauty" in his health struggles because of the way his kids have responded. He said: "I have kids making me tea. 'Dad, what do you need?' There's been a lot of beauty that's come out of it, but I would love to save everybody this journey, which is why I'm saying get screened." The 48-year-old actor advised other parents in a similar situation to share the news with their children as they will be surprised by the resilience of youngsters. He said: "When you tell them what you're doing, and you tell them the approach, they can see it and they can feel it, and I think it's also your journey is their journey." At the moment, James is "feeling great" but views battling the disease as a "full-time job". He said: "Today, I'm feeling great, yeah. It's been a journey. There are just so many ups and downs and so many unknowns. Cancer is – I call it a full-time job." James has made a number of changes to his life, including practicing yoga and trying the keto diet and has learned to slow down. He told "[I've been finding] the beauty of just taking things a little bit more slowly and prioritizing rest and really allowing that to be the job," he tells And he is happy he has continued to work, with a role in upcoming TV series Elle. He said: "The greatest thing about work is a cancer doesn't exist between action and cut. "It was fun to drop in and just have a blast because it's such a great cast, a great production, and everybody out there is really talented."
News.com.au
3 days ago
- News.com.au
James Van Der Beek gives heartbreaking cancer update
James Van Der Beek says his children have become his unexpected caretakers amid his journey with colon cancer. The Dawson's Creek star publicly shared the news of his diagnosis last November. 'I have colorectal cancer. I've been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,' Van Der Beek, 48, exclusively told People at the time. 'There's reason for optimism, and I'm feeling good.' The Varsity Blues star has been married to his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek (née Brook), since 2010. The couple share six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah. During his July 30 appearance on the Today show, Van Der Beek recalled the experience of discussing his diagnosis with his kids. 'I'm far from an expert, but our approach was just to be as honest as possible, as honest to the degree of their understanding,' he explained. 'They know. They can sense that Dad's having a tough day. They know if Dad's in pain,' he continued. 'By not telling them, I think you're confusing them even more.' Van Der Beek said he's learned that children are often stronger than adults give them credit for. 'Allow yourself to be surprised by their resiliency,' he said. 'When you tell them what you're doing, and you tell them the approach, they can see it, and they can feel it. And I think it's also that your journey is their journey.' He spoke about how his children have supported him through his journey, urging others not to 'rob them of the opportunity to show up for you.' 'I have [my] kids making me tea. 'Dad, what do you need?' There's been a lot of beauty that's come out of it,' he said. In an Instagram video posted on March 8, Van Der Beek opened up about being away from his family while undergoing treatment. 'I was away for treatment, so I could no longer be a husband who was helpful to my wife,' he explained in the clip. 'I could no longer be a father who could pick up his kids and put them to bed and be there for them. I could not be a provider because I wasn't working.' Van Der Beek's wife was in the studio during his appearance on the 'Today' show on Wednesday and appeared briefly on screen. Despite his battle, he said he is 'feeling great' at the moment. 'There are just so many ups and downs and so many unknowns,' he explained. 'Cancer is — I call it a full-time job.' Van Der Beek is continuing to work despite the diagnosis, having just finished filming Elle, a Legally Blonde prequel series slated for release on Prime Video in summer 2026.
