Superman: Legacy’s James Gunn Doesn’t Believe He is Making a ‘Young’ Man of Steel

James Gunn makes it clear on social media that he never planned to specifically write and direct a "young" Superman movie.

Recasting Henry Cavill’s Last Son of Krypton for a younger actor doesn't add up for everyone. James Gunn selected David Corenswet to take up the mantle of the Man of Steel in Superman: Legacy. The idea that Gunn would explore a young Clark Kent/Superman as Earth’s mightiest hero seemed a viable reason for pursuing another actor for the role. But, as it turns out, Gunn never intended to make such a film: "a young Superman movie." The revelation came after a fan asked the filmmaker a question while discussing the new Blue Beetle movie on Threads:

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

Gunn responded:

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

After Cavill returned to the role of Superman for a brief cameo at the conclusion of Black Adam, it seemed — at least to some fans, Cavill and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — that the Man of Steel was once more Cavill’s part to pursue. But then Black Adam bombed at the box office. Shortly after, Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins, and the DCU was announced. And while some Detective Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) actors like Jason Momoa and John Cena made the transition to the DCU, Cavill didn’t make the cut. Buy why?

Related: James Gunn Confirms Superman: Legacy Won't Revisit Clark Kent's Origin Story

James Gunn plans to unveil his Superman: Legacy movie for fans in 2025. The filmmaker admits that he felt pressure to deliver before writing the script, but Gunn told his friend Michael Rosenbaum on the Inside of You Podcast that he’s now delighted with the way the screenplay turned out.

But if Legacy isn’t an exploration of a "young" Man of Steel, the question remains: Why recast Henry Cavill? Gunn was a bit cryptic, and even defensive with his answer, but he did offer an explanation when the casting controversy first started to swirl (per Deadline):

“We didn’t’ fire Henry. Henry was never cast. He was in a cameo [Black Adam], and that was the end of his story. A lot of people made assumptions which weren’t true. But for me, it’s about who do I want to cast as Superman and who do the filmmakers want to cast.

For me, for this story, it isn’t Henry. I like Henry. He’s a great guy. I think he’s gotten d*cked around by a lot of people, including former regimes of this company. But this Superman isn’t Henry for a number of reasons.”

While Gunn didn’t give a definitive reason for not casting Cavill in Superman: Legacy, the filmmaker is on record having said that the 2025 DCU movie will focus on Clark Kent’s "early" years in Metropolis. So, that’s arguably where the terms “younger” and "young" become intertwined — and altogether subjective to anyone and everyone trying to decipher the Da Vinci Code-like riddle of Legacy’s casting controversy.

The bottom line is that Superman: Legacy is Gunn’s film. He wrote it, he’ll direct it, and he selected the new Man of Steel. And whatever the reason might be, David Corenswet deserves some of the credit. The actor obviously impressed Gunn during the casting process. So, while Cavill’s legacy will live on in the SnyderVerse, Superman: Legacy has fallen to and relies on Gunn and Corenswet’s successful collaboration.

Author of the VAMPIRES SUCK! series, Steven graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in mass communications focusing on film studies, journalism and theatre arts. Mr. Thrash then received his MFA in creative writing.Wheelhouse: Movies, TV, Streaming.Dubbed a prolific writer by Hollywood icon Kenneth Johnson (The Incredible Hulk, V, The Bionic Woman, Alien Nation), Steven was honored by the ACMA for his storytelling prowess.Experience: Entertainment Weekly, Screen Rant, Looper, the Daily Meal, Benton Courier, CCN, Saline Courier, Forum, Echo, Moroch, ABC Financial, Rue Morgue, Dread Central and Diabolique Magazine.www.steventhrash.com