Dwayne Johnson seemingly threw shade at Jame Gunn's decision to recast Superman instead of bringing back Henry Cavill by comparing the move to replacing a star athlete.After months of speculation about Cavill's future as Superman, Johnson's Black Adam brought Cavill's Man of Steel back for a cameo appearance in a post-credits scene, marking the latter actor's return to the role for the first time since Justice League. Warner Bros. then gave Cavill the go-ahead to announce his return as the Man of Steel, but this was before Gunn was named the co-CEO of DC Studios and tasked with ushering in a new shared universe of DC projects. Consequently, Gunn decided Cavill won't return as Superman, and a new actor is being sought for Gunn's reboot, Superman: Legacy.During a red carpet interview with Variety at the Oscars, Johnson was asked to comment on the decision to recast Superman despite Cavill's return in Black Adam. "All that I can do, and all that we could do when we were making ‘Black Adam,’ was to put our best foot forward and surround ourselves with the best people and deliver the best movie we could," Johnson replied, pausing before giving his answer. "Our audience score was in the 90s. Critics took a couple shots, but that’s just the business of it." However, when it comes to recasting Superman, Johnson implied it was a wrong decision akin to tossing out an athlete with proven success. "It’s almost like when you have a pro football team and your quarterback wins championships and your head coach wins championships and then a new owner comes in and says, ‘Not my coach, not my quarterback. I’m going to go with somebody new.'"
Johnson's response appears to be as diplomatic as possible. While Johnson's Black Adam was also omitted from Gunn's DCU plans, the actor seems to understand that a changing of the guard is part of the moviemaking business. However, without directly saying so, his coaching metaphor implied he believes Gunn made a mistake by replacing Cavill, who has a dedicated group of fans eager to see him return as Superman.
While it's understandable why Gunn would want a fresh start with his Superman film, the decision to cast a new actor and reboot the Man of Steel film franchise stings fans of Cavill because Gunn hasn't rebooted everything in the DCU. Based on Gunn's initial slate, cast members from Gunn's The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker are still part of the DCU, giving some fans a sense that Gunn's friends will stick around while everyone else is being shown the door.
While this may not be true (Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman future is still in question), some Cavill fans believe it's not a good look. However, not everyone was a fan of Cavill's Superman, who some felt was too dark and brooding, far from the inspirational and optimistic character fans love from the comics. While Cavill could have been given a chance to portray a more hopeful version of Superman, it appears Gunn wanted a clean break, and some people welcome the opportunity to see a new Man of Steel.
Superman: Legacy is scheduled to be released on July 11, 2025.
Source: Variety