MOVIE NEWS – James Gunn almost helmed Superman years ago, but he had a surprising reason for walking away. Now, as his take on the iconic hero is about to hit theaters, Gunn is finally revealing what made him say no—and why he couldn’t shake the Man of Steel from his mind. Turns out, Henry Cavill and studio chaos played a bigger role than anyone guessed.

The world finally met James Gunn’s vision for Superman—a superhero reboot that’s been years in the making at Warner Bros. Pictures. Gunn, always candid, has shared plenty of behind-the-scenes stories about crafting his new Superman, but his latest admission about turning down the project almost a decade ago has everyone talking. The director’s first shot at Superman wasn’t blocked by nerves or lack of ideas—instead, it was Henry Cavill and a messy studio situation that sent him running the other way.

Comic Book reports that Gunn discussed this crossroads at a Q&A event in London, fielding questions about his ever-expanding superhero résumé. After shaking up the Marvel Cinematic Universe with original hits and then making his mark with DC’s The Suicide Squad, it seemed only a matter of time before Gunn would tackle one of comicdom’s most iconic figures. When Warner Bros. and DC approached him to direct Superman, it should have been a perfect fit—except for one big catch.

Gunn recalled: “When I was originally offered to direct Superman back in 2018, I said no. I was daunted by the task. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. Also, if you remember, there was other stuff happening with Superman at the time. It was going to be politically messy. So I said no and I took The Suicide Squad, which was a more familiar type of group to me. Which I’m glad I did, that was fun.”

DCEU Ends, DCU Takes the Throne

The DC Extended Universe began in 2013 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, but by the time Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrived in 2023, the cinematic universe had clearly fallen out of favor. Snyderverse fans are still vocal, but that era of superhero cinema is over. The DCU is a fresh start, no matter what storylines you prefer.

Even after Gunn decided to pass on Superman back then and give Task Force X a shot with The Suicide Squad, he couldn’t let go of the idea of remaking Superman for modern audiences: “But I kept thinking about Superman. I couldn’t get it out of my head. ‘How would I do it if I did it? What would that movie be like? How could I make it work for today’s audience? How could it speak to people?’ Eventually, I started to think that maybe it was something I could do. So when they reapproached me with the idea for writing Superman three years ago, I said yes.”

Source: Comic Book