James Gunn recently clarified whenSuperman: Legacystarted development. While reports suggested Henry Cavill’sMan of Steel 2was in development, Gunn and Safran had other plans for the franchise.Gunn appears candid on social media, clearing up misconceptions and confusion surrounding his DCU plans, like correcting The Hollywood Reporter onBatman and Superman’s agein the upcoming reboot. However, what is most revealing is how long Gunn has been working on some of the upcomingDCfilms that are a part of the DCU reboot.RELATED:Henry Cavill’s Superman And Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman Cameos Cut From The FlashGunn disclosed on his Instagram story that the DCU isn’t being fast-tracked, asCreature CommandosandSuperman: Legacyhad been in production before he took the job at DC Studios, which was first hinted at byThe Hollywood Reporterstating “that Gunn and producer Peter Safran are in talks with Warners for a mystery movie, possibly more.” It is no secret that studio executives such as Toby Emmerich and his predecessor Walter Hamada were already moving to reboot the DCEU after Zack Snyder’sBatman v Superman. However, other executives continued to pursue the original direction, like Warner Bros. Pictures heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, who searched for writers to penMan of Steel 2starring Cavill. On Twitter, Gunn also confirmed thatSuperman: Legacyhas always been a separate project fromMan of Steel 2and that he was hired to write it over six months ago.
After Gunn and Safran took control of DC Studios,Man of Steel 2was canceled in pursuit ofSuperman: Legacy. This conflicts withGunn not firing Henry Cavill, even from a technical standpoint. It may be more accurate to say that Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad,Peacemaker, the upcomingCreature Commandos, andSuperman: Legacywere a decision-making factor in having him lead DC Studios, rather than coming to those decisions after. Understandably, fans of the franchise are disappointed. This includes Cavill, whom Warner Bros. asked to announce his exciting return a day before it was announced that Gunn and Safran were to take over DC Studios.
It was reported that Dwayne Johnson went behind certain executives to get the green light forSuperman’s secret cameo inBlack Adam, which supports disagreements behind closed doors on how to move forward with Superman. Seeing how De Luca and Abdy were reportedly working onMan of Steel 2, it is no surprise that the Warner Bros. co-heads green-lit Cavill’sBlack Adamcameo to build momentum towards what they thought would amount to the sequel at the time.
Superman: Legacyis currently in development.
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