James Gunn’s Superman timeline may hint that Henry Cavill was doomed for longer than expected

Ever since James Gunn came on board as co-CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios, nearly every major decision has been met with skepticism, judgment and criticism. There of course has been controversy surrounding Wonder Woman and The Flash, but the most frequently cited character is undoubtedly the Man of Steel. Predictably, James Gunn is yet again taking to social media to discuss Superman.

In a Twitter post over the weekend, James Gunn addressed some questions regarding the next Superman movie–and he was just trying to post a picture of his rescue dog! In a reply, Gunn confirmed that Superman: Legacy has been on the slate for some time, well before Gunn and Peter Safran’s new roles were announced back in October. “I was hired to write Superman Legacy over six months ago.”

That would put James Gunn’s hiring as writer on Superman: Legacy back to at least the summer. Taking into consideration that Henry Cavill was ousted as Superman in December, the assumption now would be that Superman: Legacy was possibly being developed with the intent of having zero involvement from Cavill even before it was announced he wouldn’t be returning. Quite a sneaky move from Warner Bros. if true…

The same month that Henry Cavill was stripped of his red cape, James Gunn tweeted that “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…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.”

Superman: Legacy soars to theaters on July 11th, 2025, part of DC’s upcoming slate of highly anticipated titles that is being dubbed “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.” On the phase–uh, we mean chapter–Safran stated, “Chapter 1 tells cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit, all designed to minimize audience confusion and maximize audience engagement across platforms.”

Do you suspect that Warner Bros. was sneaky in how they handled the Henry Cavill situation? What are you hoping to see in James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy? Let us know below!