DC Studios Co-Head James Gunn Writing New Superman Movie Without Henry Cavill

Superman is returning to the big screen!

Henry Cavill Superman James Gunn DC Studios

Superman is getting a new movie from James Gunn, but it won’t star Henry Cavill.

TheWrap reports DC Studios co-head James Gunn is officially writing the script for the next Superman movie. The project is said to revolve around a young version of the Last Son of Krypton, exploring his adventures when he first arrives in Metropolis. As such, Henry Cavill is being recast as Superman.

DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran broke the news to Henry Cavill this week, with the three remaining open to working together in the future. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn and Safran also met with Batman actor Ben Affleck to discuss the possibility of him directing a DC Studios project.

“Peter and I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn’t be more over-the-moon about; we’ll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year, Gunn wrote on Twitter. “Among those on the slate is Superman. In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman’s life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill. But we just had a great meeting with Henry and we’re big fans and we talked about a number of exciting possibilities to work together in the future.”

In addition to James Gunn’s Superman reboot, Warner Bros. Discovery has also tapped Ta-Nehisi Coates to write a separate project focusing on the DC Comics hero. The Coates movie, which is still in development, is expected to feature a Black Superman.

A new era for the DC Universe

James Gunn and Peter Safran are now in charge of DC’s film, television and animations efforts at Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing the company’s comic book-related assets under one roof. Gunn is said to be focusing on the creative direction of the DCU while Safran is handling things that are related to business and production.

Shazam! Fury of the GodsThe FlashBlue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are currently in various stages of post-production at Warner Bros. Discovery, with all four DC Universe movies slated to hit theaters in 2023. Will the characters from those movies make appearances in the new DCU? Only Gunn and Safran know.

Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!

Michael Bezanidis

Michael Bezanidis

Michael is the Managing Editor of Heroic Hollywood. When he's not playing video games, he's usually writing about film and television.