Henry Cavill Not Returning as Superman, James Gunn and Peter Safran Working on New Movie

Henry Cavill will no longer be returning to play Superman. Instead, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are taking the character in a new direction.

“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. 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. The changing of the guard is something that happens. I respect that. James and Peter have a universe to build. I wish the and all involved with the new universe the best of luck, and the happiest of fortunes,” Cavill wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday night.

“For those who have been by my side through the years….we can mourn for a bit, but then we must remember…. Superman is still around. Everything he stands for still exists, and the examples he sets for us are still there! My turn to wear the cape has passed, but what Superman stands for never will. It’s been a fun ride with you all, onwards and upwards,” Cavill added.

The actor played Superman/Clark Kent in Man of Steel (2013), Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), and in an uncredited role in Black Adam (2022).

Cavill had announced at the end of October that he was returning to play Superman again in an upcoming movie, but since James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, they have been building a new universe — which involves recasting some of DC’s current superheroes.

At the same time that Cavill announced he was hanging up his cape, Gunn tweeted that he and Safran are working on a new Superman movie that calls for a different actor.

“Peter & 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 tweeted. “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,” he added in another tweet.

However, there’s hope for Cavill to possibly play another role in the new DC universe.

“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,” Gunn wrote.

Cavill isn’t the only one who has gotten bad news from DC Studios lately.

Last week, Patty Jenkins’ treatment for Wonder Woman 3 was scrapped due to Safran and Gunn’s desire to go in a different direction, according to a bombshell report from The Hollywood Reporter. Jenkins had directed Wonder Woman (2017) and Wonder Woman: 1984 (2020).

Similarly to what happened to Cavill, that news came just one day after Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot had tweeted about how excited she was to be returning to the role.

On Tuesday, Jenkins shared her side of the story about what happened to Wonder Woman 3.

“When there started being backlash about WW3 not happening, the attractive clickbait false story that it was me that killed it or walked away started to spread,” Jenkins wrote on Twitter. “This is simply not true. I never walked away. I was open to considering anything asked of me. It was my understanding that there was nothing I could do to move anything forward at this time. DC is obviously buried in changes they are having to make, so I understand these decisions are difficult right now.”

The future of the Wonder Woman franchise is still unclear. Read Jenkins’ full statement here.

See Cavill’s Instagram post below.