Superman Director James Gunn Speaks Out on Henry Cavill Recasting “Conspiracy Theory”

James Gunn is speaking out on the recent conspiracy theory that’s been floated online regarding Henry Cavill’s Superman recasting. The prolific filmmaker and co-head of DC Studios is gearing up for the first film in the new DC Universe, Superman, which recently changed its name from Superman: Legacy. Of course, Henry Cavill is the most recent actor to take up the Man of Steel’s cape, playing Superman for many years in Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe. Henry Cavill’s time as Superman came to an end when James Gunn and DC Studios decided to reboot the universe, but that hasn’t stopped fan speculation and conspiracy theories from surfacing about Cavill, Superman, and Gunn.

The newest Superman conspiracy theory has to do with comments from Nathan Fillion, who will suit up as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern in Superman. Fillion allegedly stated that James Gunn told him at The Suicide Squad wrap party that he’d be playing Green Lantern Guy Gardner. However, this was years before Warner Bros. Studios would even start looking for outside voices to come in and take over the DCEU. It was also revealed that it wasn’t The Suicide Squad wrap party, but the wrap party for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Gunn’s reply to the theory is basically that none of it makes any sense. 

“I don’t quite understand how that fits,” James Gunn said on Threads. “Aside from the fact I had no interest in running DC until Peter decided to do it with me so he could do the exec stuff & I could focus on creative, when I was hired to write Superman it was always intended as & pitched as a new Superman story, so why would I lie about not planning that at the Squad premiere which would have amounted to the same thing at the end of the day? How does this particular conspiracy theory make sense?”

James Gunn shares Superman throwback logo

James Gunn has never been shy about sharing new updates on all things DC on his social media accounts. Back in April, one post proved to be a head-scratcher for Superman fans. One of Gunn’s latest posts was a throwback logo of the iconic “S,” but he didn’t provide any captions or other comments.

Gunn did not caption his post, but many fans in the replies were taking guesses. Some believe the director is teasing Krypto, the superhero dog who made his comics debut back in 1955. Considering Gunn’s history with animals in comic book movies, it’s not a stretch to think we’re about to get Krypto in live-action. 

What is James Gunn’s Superman movie about?

Originally titled Superman: Legacy, DC Studios describes Superman as the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. 

Superman will star David Corenswet as Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher.