Henry Cavill stars as Superman from DC Studios.
“I just met James Gunn and Peter Safran and this is very sad news for everyone,” the actor wrote in a statement on Instagram late Wednesday. “Besides, I’m not coming back as Superman.”
Cavill announced in October that he would be returning to the character after appearing in a cameo in Black Adam alongside Dwayne Johnson with hopes of appearing in the highly anticipated 2013 sequel Man of Steel.
However, in late October, Gunn and Safran took over as co-chair and CEO of DC Studios replacing DC Films, a reorganized division of Warner Bros. The two reportedly met to determine the future of Man of Steel 2, and now it looks like that’s not going to happen.
“After being instructed by the studio to announce my return in October ahead of their hiring, this isn’t the easiest of news, but that’s life,” Cavill wrote. “The changing of the guard is something that happens. I appreciate that.”
Cavill continued, “James and Peter have to build the universe. I wish them and everyone involved in the new universe the very best of luck and happiness.”
Gunn discussed the development alongside Cavill’s statement on Twitter.
“Among those on the list is Superman,” Gunn wrote on Wednesday. “In the early stages, our story will focus on the early part of Superman’s life, so his character will not be played by Henry Cavill.”
The revamped DC Studios also saw Wonder Woman 3 shelved, with director Patty Jenkins saying Tuesday that there was “nothing I can do right now to move anything forward.”
The director also noted that “DC is clearly buried in the changes they need to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”
DC’s changing of the guard follows comments by Discovery CEO David Zaslav that the company is looking for “Kevin Feige himself”, the executive producer and CEO behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Gunn had ties to Marvel, having directed the Guardians of the Galaxy films, but moved to DC to direct The Suicide Squad and the TV series spin-off Peacemaker when Marvel briefly fired him.
Cavill appeared as Superman in 2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2017’s Justice League, 2021’s Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and 2022’s Black Adam.
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