It’s a fowl… It’s a airplane… It’s a very completely different man!
When moviegoers head to “Superman” this weekend, they gained’t spot Henry Cavill, the actor who performed Clark Kent as just lately as 2022’s “Black Adam” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
As a substitute, the enduring pink cape will likely be donned by David Corenswet, the 32-year-old star of TV’s “Hollywood” and “The Politician.”
A expertise change-up for a reboot isn’t uncommon. For example, within the 23 years since Marvel’s “Spider-Man” first bought the big-screen remedy in 2002, Peter Parker has been performed by three actors: Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland.
However Cavill’s departure was atypically dramatic.
The 42-year-old Brit was the sufferer of a company shakeup that took him and his followers completely abruptly.
Changing into Clark
In 2013, Cavill first performed Kal-El within the origin story “Man of Steel,” directed by Zack Snyder, which kicked off the DC Prolonged Universe.
Critics had been lukewarm on it (Although The Publish’s Lou Lumenick referred to as the film “a highly respectable, and sometimes inspired job of retooling the basic Superman mythology”), nevertheless it grossed a wholesome $668 million worldwide.
A fly-away success, Cavill appeared as Clark Kent in a number of different movies: 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” reverse Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne; 2017’s “Justice League” (and a 2021 re-edit referred to as “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”) and 2022’s “Black Adam.” The opinions — and field workplace — bought steadily worse.
In 2022, David Zaslav turned CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns DC Studios. He shelved the finished movie “Batgirl” that August, and DC Movies head Walter Hamada resigned shortly after. Hamada left his put up simply two days earlier than the October launch of “Black Adam.”
‘A very small taste of things to come’
Even with all of the chaos swirling round him, Cavill was optimistic.
In an October 24, 2022 Instagram put up about his shock look in “Black Adam,” he introduced that he would assume the position of Superman once more.
“A very small taste of what’s to come, my friends. The dawn of hope renewed. Thank you for your patience, it will be rewarded,” he stated.
In an accompanying video, Cavill added, “There’s a lot to be thankful for, and I’ll get to that in time, but I wanted to thank you guys most of all. Thank you for your support and thank you for your patience. I promise it will be rewarded.”
There had been rumors brewing of a sequel to “Man of Steel,” the one standalone Superman movie within the DC Prolonged Universe. Nevertheless it was to not be.
New blood
Someday later, James Gunn (director of “Guardians of the Galaxy”) and Peter Safran had been introduced as the brand new co-chairs of the newly created DC Studios.
“We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved,” they stated in a press release.
One artist who wouldn’t be concerned was Cavill.
Cavill will get canned
Eleven days earlier than Christmas, 2022, the actor took to Instagram once more for a far much less chipper replace.
“I have just had a meeting with James Gunn and Peter Safran, and it’s sad news, everyone. I will, after all, not be returning as Superman,” he wrote.
“After being told by the studio to announce my return back in October, prior to their hire, this news isn’t the easiest, but that’s life,” Cavill added. “The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish them and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes.”
Gunn and Safran determined to scrap the prevailing DC Prolonged Universe and begin it recent with new actors.
Gunn, who directed “Superman,” needed a youthful actor for the half, because the story would concern “an earlier part of Superman’s life,” he stated on X.
Cavill even shot a cameo for 2023’s “The Flash,” with Ezra Miller, however Gunn and Safran determined to chop it.
There was extra carnage. “Wonder Woman 3” was nixed.
And in a June 2025 interview with Leisure Weekly, Gunn stated an entire new “Wonder Woman” is within the works. Selection confirmed that it’ll not star Gal Godot.
A brand new daybreak
When Gunn introduced his first slate of DC movies, he instructed reporters that Cavill wasn’t technically axed.
“We didn’t fire Henry. Henry was never cast,” the director stated. “For me, it’s about, ‘Who do I want to cast as Superman, and who do the filmmakers we have want to cast?’ And for me, for this story, it isn’t Henry.”
He added: “I like Henry, I think he’s a great guy. I think he’s getting d—– around by a lot of people, including the former regime at this company. But this Superman is not Henry, for a number of reasons.”
In June 2023, it was introduced that Corenswet, who’s a decade youthful than Cavill, would play Clark Kent reverse Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane.
“Superman” hits theaters July 11.
