James Gunn Addresses Henry Cavill Superman Conspiracy Theory
James Gunn has addressed a conspiracy theory claiming that the director was behind the firing of Henry Cavill from his role as Superman. The conspiracy is based on a comment from Nathan Fillion and some inconsistencies timelines regarding Gunn taking over as the head of the DCU. Gunn claims that the whole conspiracy can be attributed to Fillion mixing up when he was given certain information and some misconceptions about his upcoming movie Superman and the circumstances that led to him becoming the creative head of the DCU
James Gunn Directly Tackles Rumors
The conspiracy came about because of a comment from Nathan Fillion in an interview with Collider discussing his upcoming role as Guy Gardener. In that interview, Fillion claims that James Gunn told him about his role in the upcoming Superman at a Suicide Squad premiere party, which would have been in 2021. If that were the case, it would mean that Gunn was aware Henry Cavill was being fired, and his Superman movie would be made a full year before it was announced he’d be taking over DC’s film adaptations.
The Roots Of The Theory
This information would be controversial because James Gunn publicly denied he planned on running the DCU in 2021. For fans who believe the conspiracy theory, this means that Gunn was lying about his plans and allowing fans to believe Henry Cavill’s version of Superman would return. These lies, the theory goes, were to prop up the final DCEU movies while knowing they wouldn’t lead anywhere.
Cavill’s Last Appearance
A few months before it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be co-leads of the new DCU there were indicators that Henry Cavill was returning as Superman. In October of 2022, Black Adam premiered, featuring a Cavill cameo as Superman. The actor also promoted his return, promising there was more to come, but only for those hopes to be dashed in December with the announcement about the establishment of the DCU.
A Simple Mistake
James Gunn claims that the whole conspiracy theory has a simple explanation: Nathan Fillion misspoke or misremembered the details of when he’d been told about his upcoming role. According to Gunn, he did tell Fillion about the role at a premiere party, but it was the premiere of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, not Suicide Squad. This would make sense as Fillion appeared in both films and would likely have attended both premieres.
Gunn Explains The Timeline Of Events
Addressing the other conspiratorial elements, James Gunn claims that there are some misconceptions about Superman and his decision to take over as the lead of the DCU. He claims his version of a Superman movie was pitched as a reboot, and there was never any intentional indication that Henry Cavill would return. As for changing his mind about becoming the head of the DCU, he claims he rejected an offer to be the sole CEO of DC Studios but accepted when the offer was changed to include Peter Safran as co-CEO.
A New DC Universe Is Coming
James Gunn’s criticism of the conspiracy theory makes sense, a single quote from an actor is far from irrefutable proof. It’s very possible that Fillion misspoke and mishandled Henry Cavill’s brief return as Superman happened before Gunn became involved. Whether you believe the conspiracy theory or not, the new version of DC’s film universe will be here next year.
