MOVIE NEWS – Fans weren’t thrilled about the loss of Henry Cavill’s Superman, but James Gunn has denied claims that his reaction to the situation was “cold”.

James Gunn has been the target of many fans’ frustration over the cancellation of Henry Cavill’s Superman Returns. In a recent tweet, Gunn responded directly to one comment calling his attitude to the news a “cold indifference” that was “truly worthy of a CEO role.” As someone who has been a constant presence on social media throughout his Marvel and DC journeys, the current backlash surrounding Superman didn’t see him going into hiding. In a post, he said:

“I’m anything but cold about it. I sat down with Henry in person yesterday and we had a very open, honest and respectful conversation. We’ve been in communication ever since and he and I get along. And yesterday I said what I needed to say , I don’t know what else you want to hear from me”.

I'm anything but cold about it. I sat down in person with Henry yesterday and we had a very open and honest and respectful discussion. We've communicated since and he and I are all good. And I said what I needed to say yesterday, not sure what else you'd like me to say.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) December 15, 2022

Many fans are still upset about the return and loss of Henry Cavill in the DCU, and this has only added to the pressure on Gunn and Peter Safran when it comes to their plans for the future of the franchise. It was never going to be an easy transition from the old DCEU to the new DCU, but now it’s become an uphill climb to win back fans and try to make the DCU work for Warner Bros. Discovery finally. We won’t know whether they succeed for at least a few more years.

It looks like Superman will be played by someone younger in a film that won’t be an origin story, but will take place during a similar time in Clark Kent’s life as seen in Matt Reeves’ Batman, with Superman in his first year as a hero and reporter for the Daily Planet. If this is the beginning of the new DCU, then it seems inevitable that the characters around him will also have to be adapted to this period. This could mean transforming everyone from Batman to Wonder Woman. So where does that leave Shazam, The Flash and Aquaman? Zachary Levi recently responded to Henry Cavill’s Instagram post announcing that he would not be returning as Superman, commenting:

“I hope to meet again in another universe, sir”.

When Gunn and Safran were announced as the new CEOs of DC Studios, Levi seemed optimistic about their arrival, telling Comic Con Portugal that he was familiar with Gunn’s work and that “he’s one of my bosses now, which is dope.” He went on to note:

“Then Peter Safran, who is my partner, my producer – he is the producer of the movie Shazam! So your question is, if these are my two bosses, does Shazam have a plan and a future?”. I would say yes, I hope so. I hope so. Because they’re my friends, and if they don’t have a plan, they’re not my friends anymore. No, sir.”

Whether or not this means Levi’s list of friends is about to get a little shorter, we’ll find out soon when plans for the rebooted DCU are announced.

Source: MovieWeb