James Gunn clears up Superman: Legacy confusion as Blue Beetle overtakes Barbie at the box office

Cavill is being replaced by David Corenswet for the forthcoming DC film

James Gunn has cleared up a point of confusion surrounding the recasting of Henry Cavill as Superman.

Cavill had played the role of the Kryptonian superhero in several DC comics films, including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League.

Despite the actor reprising the role for a recent cameo in The Flash , it was confirmed last year that Cavill would be replaced in the DC universe going forward.

The decision was said to have rested with Guardians of the Galaxy directorJames Gunn, who along with producer Peter Safran was appointed co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios last year.

In June, Gunn announced that the role of Superman would be played in the forthcoming Superman: Legacy by The Politician star David Corenswet. The film is set to come out in cinemas in 2025.

Gunn had initially written that Cavill was being recast because Superman: Legacy was set to focus on a younger version of the character.

“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,” he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).

However, this week, Gunn issued a clarification on the social media platform Threads, after a question from a fan concerning the recent DC release Blue Beetle.

“So in Blue Beetle at least in the commercial Jaime knows who Superman is, and you’ve said Blue Beetle is in your DCU,” they asked. “So is your young Superman movie set in the past?”

“I was never making a ‘young Superman’ movie, just a Superman movie!” Gunn responded.

Henry Cavill as Superman (Warner Bros)

As well as producing the film, Gunn is also set to direct Superman: Legacy. Rachel Brosnahan will star alongside Corenswet as Lois Lane.

Superman is the second major role Cavill has stepped down from in recent months, with the Mission: Impossible – Fallout star also standing down from the Netflix fantasy series The Witcher.

Cavill had played the lead role of demon slayer Geralt of Rivia in three seasons of the popular fantasy series. He will be replaced by The Hunger Games star Liam Hemsworth.

Fans effusively praised Cavill’s performance in his final episodes, with many lamenting the actor’s exit.